


A Winter Wish

by Lilacsbloom



Category: Tetsuwan Atom | Astro Boy
Genre: Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Post-2003 Anime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21903889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilacsbloom/pseuds/Lilacsbloom
Summary: Time healed all wounds, or did it? Some wounds took longer to heal than others, while others laid buried beneath scars that never faded. All Atom wanted was a second chance with the man he called Father. -Set after the 2003 anime-
Comments: 8
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is a story I deleted years ago during a bad time in my life. Like other my Astro Boy story For Always [originally titled Mistletoe] A Winter Wish has been reworked from the ground up and will be a 3 part chapter story. I will do my hardest to get Chapter 2 out by Christmas, but the final chapter will be a little after that.
> 
> Since coming back to viewing the 2003 show in Japanese, I've really gained an appreciation for its themes. Atom and Tenma's relationship had so much impact for me in the original dub, and I was surprised with what a multilayered character Tenma is as an antagonist to the show. Atom himself, you get more of the sense he's struggling to understand why he was disowned by his creator and if Tenma even loves him anymore when putting him through so much.
> 
> It is why I've chosen to retain those elements of Japanese dub in this revision, and why the characterizations will be different than what is in the English version of the show. Likewise, Japanese names and phrases will also be used.

* * *

_The hardest prisons to break out of are the ones we build ourselves._

* * *

_**A Winter Wish - Chapter 1** _

* * *

_This never should've happened._

_It never should have come to this…_

" _No! Tenma-hakase!"_

_The bolt of electricity struck the running child, knocking him down. The voltage quickly dissipated, leaving him shaken. The underground plant was sweltering hot; the temperatures rocketing from the liquefied waste in the furnace, making the internal cooling systems in his robotic body work overtime._

_The concrete walkway shuddered beneath Atom's feet as he pulled himself up, the ground threatening to give out._

" _Leave this place now or I'll destroy you!" Tenma shouted, the jagged kuri ring aimed out at the boy. When receiving no response, his creator began charging up the device again, electricity crackling louder the higher energy the ring conducted. "Don't make me hurt you again!"_

_His chest blackened and still smoking from the blast, Atom raised his arms as he cautiously slid his feet forward along the concrete. Tenma noticed and retreated, keeping the distance between them._

" _No! I'm not leaving without you!" Atom shouted as an exploded tore apart the crane equipment on the other side of the plant, scattering debris everywhere._

_Tenma kept moving back, until he bumped into the control panel in the central pillar of the furnace. His head darted to his left and right, frantically searching for an escape, but he had nowhere else to go._

" _Back! Just stay back!" He warned._

_Atom ignored him, and kept edging closer. Tenma's eyes bulged wide in terror, becoming more agitated—fearful. He craved the escape of death—not life, and that thought scared the boy robot to his core._

_Cautiously, he offered out his hand._

" _Please, Hakase. Just come with me, and everything will—"_

_His bravery was punished._

_A second burst of electricity far stronger than the last exploded from the kuri ring, slamming into the boy's chest with such a force he was propelled backwards through the air. Rolling across the floor, Atom snagged the railing with his arm, stopping himself from skidding off the platform. Clinging to the bars, he was greeted by the sight of the churning molten waste below. It was steadily rising, bubbling up from the depths of the furnace like the raging hellfire of a volcano—the heat so immense he had to look away._

_Fires were spreading throughout the plant, smoke bellowing up to the ceiling where another large fan for the ventilation system failed. An estimate was made in Atom's electronic brain of Plant 7's demise, and it's wasn't good._

_Time was short. He needed to hurry!_

_Atom went to right himself, only to cry out in pain the moment he moved. He clutched his chest where it hurt most, and retracted his hand immediately when he touched metal. Confused, Atom looked down to where sparks coursed wildly, and discovered his mechanical heart was exposed. The blast had completely blown through his chest panel, leaving a gaping hole of melted synthetic flesh and scorched hot metal._

_But it was much worse than he could've been prepared for, for his heart had sustained damage too. The thick red metal casing had busted off, and Atom saw what he wasn't meant to see—the internal workings of his own heart, where gears and pistons sped up from the rising fear of what his young eyes saw._

_A row of alerts flashed in his peripheral vision_

_**CRITICAL DAMAGE TO CHEST CAVITY** _

_**BATTERY DAMAGE TO KORORO** _

_**SYSTEMS STATUS 57.1%** _

_At the very sight of the boy robot's injuries, the color drained from Tenma's face as a look of sheer terror festered upon it. The man's hand loosened on the kuri ring, his entire body beginning to tremble_

" _It's too late for me. My sins—my sins are too grave," Tenma said distantly, his voice once strong with such convictions, now breaking as the tears welled up and fell. "I can't be saved. It's over. Just go—leave me."_

_Another wave of explosions tore through the plant. Several pipes spewing steam finally burst under the pressure as cracks spread up the walls onto the ceiling, threatening to bring Plant 7 collapsing in on itself. Meltdown was imminent, with the window for escape narrowing with every second to tick by._

_Holding onto the rail for support, Atom pulled himself up. His legs shook, slow to reclaim the lost ground the tumble cost him, but he managed it._

" _Hakase, don't do this; don't throw your life away! This isn't the way!" Atom clutched his chest, bearing the pain as he kept going. "Please, just l-let me help you!"_

" _Help me?" Tenma repeated. He bared his teeth, shaking his head furiously. "Help me? HELP ME!? THIS IS WHAT I DESERVE!"_

" _Don't say that! You can still—"_

" _NO!"_

_Atom didn't get to finish. In Tenma's anger, his gripped tightened on the kuri ring again. The shock lit up on the man's face by his mistake—but it was too late._

_The boy robot didn't have a chance to evade the bolt as it made contact with his head, slicing open his cheek. Atom felt it go down to the metal, where the current travelled through into his skull and down his skeleton. He cried out as his limbs contorted, feeling something dislodge inside his electronic brain._

_Atom's ears were blasted with a loud audible ringing, as the electricity ran a manic through his body. He stumbled, watching as the sight shut off in his left eye before his knees even hit the floor._

" _A-Atom…"_

 _He_ _grabbed his head, the pain agonizing as the world spun._ _In the glitching vision of his remaining functioning eye, new alerts flashed red_ _._

_**CRITICAL DAMAGE TO OCCIPITA01001100 COMPONENT** _

_**MINOR D01000001MAGE DETECTED TO CEREBRUM D01100001MAGE TO CEREBRUM 01000011 01001111 01001101 01010000 01001111 01001110 01000101NT** _

_**SYSTE01001101 01010011 00100000 01010011 01010100ATUS 36.4%** _

_In all of a second, Atom heard the kuri ring shut off and clatter to the floor against the concrete. He looked over, just catching sight of the device as it rolled off the side of the walkway, plummeting into the furnace below._

_When the boy robot raised his head, he saw Tenma stood paralyzed on the spot, his eyes glazed over staring at his hands in disgust. His creator quickly snapped out of it when the smoke swamping the plant finally got to him, coughing as the toxic fumes invaded his lungs. Atom quickly ran a scan, but it was a distorted mess. He picked up enough info to learn the oxygen levels were decreasing rapidly, with temperatures teetering on the limits of what the human body could endure. Tenma was beginning to suffer the effects of hyperthermia, and had minutes at most._

_After that, there would be irreparable organ damage,_ _**death** _ _._

_No, he would not let Tenma die!_

_Nobody was going to die!_

_It took every ounce of strength within Atom to stand back up. His movement was stiff, as if his joints had entirely rusted. Another explosion within the plant knocked Atom off-kilter, but he clasped hold of railing to steady himself._

" _Hakase!"_

_In that moment he heard a loud rumble from behind him. Atom looked back over his shoulder, in time to watch as a section of the platform crumbled and collapsed behind him._

_Their escape by foot was cut off._

_Gripping the railing tighter, Atom carried on, and focused on putting one foot in front of the other._

" _No, stay back!" Tenma yelled, but his protests were weaker than before. The man covered his mouth, coughing more violently as he cowered away from the very child creation he had once poured so much love into. "Get—Get away!"_

_Atom didn't listen, and continued closing the distance between them. Within in those last few steps, the vision in his right eye began flickering wildly out of control. Halting in his tracks, Atom blinked rapidly but it did nothing to clear it. He panicked, helpless against the failings of his body as he was plunged him into darkness._

_Eyes wide, Atom blindly searched ahead where he could hear the wheezes and coughs from his creator gradually being overtaken by the fumes._

" _H-Hakase!?"_

_The boy robot held out his arms, trying to feel out in front of him, only to touch thin air._

_His limbs were getting heavier, weaker. The effort to keep himself standing was becoming more of a struggle. His energy, Atom could feel it diminishing fast, and knew his body's limits. An internal check of his systems confirmed his greatest fear. He didn't have enough energy to fly Tenma to safety. Atom wasn't sure there was even enough to get himself out from harm's way._

_They were trapped on the pillar in the center of the furnace with no escape._

_01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 Wh_ _**o** _ _d_ _**o** _ _y_ _**o** _ _u like m_ _**o** _ _re, me_ _**o** _ _r_ _**a** _ _r_ _**o** _ _b_ _**ot** _ _?_ _01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110_

 _01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 I sh_ _**o** _ _uldn't h_ _**a** _ _ve bee_ _**n** _ _b_ _**o** _ _r_ _**n** _ _01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 H_ _**o** _ _w c_ _**ou** _ _ld y_ _**ou** _ _d_ _**o** _ _**t** _ _his!? I'm_ _**a** _ _r_ _**o** _ _b_ _**o** _ _t t_ _**oo** _ _! 01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 R_ _**o** _ _bi_ _**ta** _ _i_ _**s** _ _my frie_ _**n** _ _d! I w_ _**on** _ _'t le_ _**t** _ _y_ _**ou** _ _de_ _**st** _ _r_ _**o** _ _y her!_ _01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110_

 _I d_ _**on** _ _'_ _**t** _ _w_ _**ant** _ _**an** _ _y_ _**n** _ _ew b_ _**o** _ _dy!_ _**T** _ _he ki_ _**n** _ _g_ _**o** _ _f rob_ _**ots** _ _, I d_ _**on** _ _'_ _**t** _ _w_ _**ant** _ _i_ _**t** _ _! 01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 Y_ _**ou** _ _li_ _**a** _ _r! Y_ _**ou** _ _d_ _**on** _ _'_ _**t** _ _l_ _**o** _ _ve me! Y_ _**ou** _ _d_ _**on** _ _'_ _**t** _ _l_ _**o** _ _ve me_ _**at** _ _**a** _ _ll!_ _01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110_

_The memories of a big old house flowed through his mind—of the young boy whose life he once shared with all his grief, his anger and loneliness._

_The fear of death overwhelmed Atom in that instance._

" _Otousan!"_

_Like a flash of lightning, a flicker of images returned in his vision, and quickly vanished. In that glimpse, Atom caught sight of Tenma by the control panel, stood hunched over and in tears._

_The creator's arms were held out apprehensively, as if afraid._

_Slowly, Atom reached out too._

" _Don't give up. P-Please, I don't—"_

_A sharp stab of pain from his heart had Atom reeling forward, clutching his chest as electricity expelled from his body, prickling over the flesh and exposed circuitry._

_**ENERGY 01000100 01001001 01010011 01010100 01010010 01001001 01000010UTION ERROR** _

_**REDIR01000101 01000011 01010100ING POWER TO CORE COMPONENTS** _

_**SY01010011 01010100 01000101 01001101 01010011 STATUS 00110001 00111001 00101110 00110110 00100101** _

_Atom couldn't speak. Like a switch flipped, the strength went out of his legs._

_Tenma caught him as he collapsed, his arms wrapping around Atom securely, almost clinging to him for dear life._

" _Atom! No Atom!" He heard his father say. Atom felt the sharp inhale of breath against him and the choked back cry as Tenma's shoulders shook. "I'm sorry. What—What have I done!? Oh god, what I have done to you!?"_

_As the man broke down, his words devolved into an unintelligible string of apologies, ignorant to the destruction occurring all around them._

_The energy fast depleting from Atom's body, he used what little power he had left to slide his arms around his father's waist, and in response felt himself pulled into an embrace he had long since been too afraid to give, and too afraid to receive._

" _Oto—Otousan…"_

_Distantly, Atom heard the hum of electricity and cables moving. It took him a few seconds to recognize it as the elevator he had used earlier to get down into the plant._

_The elevator was being called back up._

_Help was coming!_

_**01000101 01001110 01000101RGY L01000101 01010110 01000101 01001100LS CRITI01000011 01000001 01001100 01001100 01011001 00100000 01001100 01001111 01010111** _

_**01000011 01001111 01001101MENCING EMERGENCY SHU01010100 01000100 01001111 01010111 01001110** _

_Atom dug his fingers into the fabric of that long dark coat, pressing his face again his father's chest as his eyes fell shut. He hugged Tenma tighter as the numbness began travelling from his fingers, up his arms and to the rest of his body, until all feeling was gone._

_The ringing in Atom's ears increased tenfold, until it broke up into nothingness. He could no longer hear the cries from his father, or the devastation in that plant as debris rained all around them._

_Before Atom's consciousness was lost, he spoke out a confession all but deaf to his own ears._

" _I forgive you."_

 _ **Pl01100101ase d**_ _**01101111n't 01100100ie…**_

* * *

The moment Atom awoke from sleep-mode, he opened his eyes.

Not waiting, he climbed out of bed and went to pull back the curtains, letting the light into his room. Atom's jaw hung agape at the sight to await him beyond the window. There had been no forecast for snow today, so to see the entire courtyard blanketed in a thick layer of the stuff was a surprise. And the snow was still coming down!

Atom pressed his hands and button nose up against the cold glass, his large brown eyes peering upwards to the trillions of snowflakes falling from those white marshmallow clouds.

"Wow…"

After the Antarctica three and a half years ago, there was a long period of time Atom couldn't enjoy the sight of snow without thinking back to the conflict that nearly tore humans and robots apart. He was happy that wasn't so anymore, finally being able to appreciate nature's gift again. For it to snow on Christmas day was almost too perfect. If it weren't for being in his rocket pajamas and having so much to get ready for, Atom would have been out there making snow angels and building snow forts.

"An early bird again I see."

Looking over his shoulder, Atom saw Tenma standing in the shadows of that open doorway to his bedroom. The man had not been long up, still dressed in his nightclothes and robe, with his usual fancy slippers on.

A smile immediately brightened up on Atom's face as he waved him over.

"Otousan, come take a look. It's really coming down!"

With a cup of freshly brewed tea hooked in his fingers, the ex-computer scientist joined his son at the window, where they looked out at snow-laden courtyard and the neighborhood beyond those metal fences. There was a thin veil of mist out, and it wasn't completely light out yet, but it was easy to tell it was going to be a very cold day.

As Tenma raised his hand to sip his tea, Atom tracked the thin electronic bracelet strapped to his father's wrist, often so well concealed under the cuff of his shirts. It matched the bracelet on his ankle, and if that wasn't extreme enough, a tracking chip had been implanted under the man's skin at the back of his neck.

Tenma's placement into home arrest had been nearly six months ago—the day of his release still fresh to Atom as the day it happened. Professor Ochanomizu offered to be there in support, but Atom insisted it was something he needed to do by himself. Sadly, alone he wasn't to be, as the media caught wind of Tenma's release and had been waiting with Atom outside the gates of the maximum security prison to report on the events live.

So long as it wasn't hostile Atom was used to the attention, but that day media's presence was intrusive and unwelcomed. He was only thankful the police had cordoned them off for safety, but it didn't stop the paparazzi from snapping photos, or reporters yelling their questions to Atom, all while the cameras rolled.

' _How do you feel about Tenma-hakase's release into house arrest?'_

' _Atom, can we get a comment?'_

' _Is it true you're the one responsible for his release?'_

Atom didn't let them get to him and spoil that day. If their pestering questions weren't being ignored before, then their voices fell on deaf ears entirely when those gates opened.

With a high security escort, Tenma walked out handcuffed. Dressed in plain civilian clothing, his once confident demeanor had changed from what it was years earlier. Tenma still held his head high in front of the large crowd of media, but that facade faltered when he saw Atom waiting for him.

Those years of visiting his father in prison were the hardest to deal with. They had only been able to talk through a phone with a wall of thick glass between them. Every conversation was motored by cameras and watched by security, so there was no privacy. Still, it didn't stop them from discussing what they needed to in order to clear the air, and begin rebuilding what they had lost. Atom never went a few days without visiting him. Even Professor Ochanomizu went to meet Tenma. Though what the two men discussed remained private, it was safe to say they amounted to some level of understanding.

It took years of healing for them to reach where they were, enough for Atom to finally wager getting Tenma out of prison, and who else could Atom turn to but Professor Ochanomizu himself?

' _Atom, are you sure you want to pursue this? It'll be a difficult case to build on. At most an appeal may only succeed in Tenma-hakase receiving a reduced sentence.'_

_For the crimes Tenma had committed, he may have spent the rest of his life in prison. Atom knew by law that was how it had to be. Still, he couldn't stand seeing his father being locked up like an animal and treated as such by the prison staff. It was the worst feeling for Atom, knowing he had the power capable of breaking Tenma out, but couldn't do so out of his own morals and obligations to follow the rules._

' _We can still try,' Atom said. 'Even if we're back where we started, it's better to have done something than nothing.'_

_Ochanomizu looked to him, almost in pity. 'Don't confuse my reasoning for doubt, Atom. Your concerns for his wellbeing are valid, but the law is the law. There are procedures we have to follow, and then there's the matter of if he is still a threat to sociality.'_

_Atom hesitated from where he stood, hunching his shoulders._

' _Do you believe he is, Hakase?'_

_With a heavy sigh Professor Ochanomizu went and sat down at his desk. 'I honestly don't know. Anybody capable of such atrocities Tenma-hakase has committed could easily do them again.' The man tilted his head back, his expression thoughtful. 'However, he does appear genuinely remorseful for his actions. All the same, he's accepted his sentencing and made no efforts to fight it in the years since. Perhaps we should respect that if those are his wishes.'_

' _But how can we know that if we don't ask him? Shouldn't he get to decide?' Astro reasoned. ''Rock was able to change for better, and Tenma-hakase has too. I believe in him, Ochanomizu-hakase.'_

_Professor Ochanomizu stared the boy robot in surprise. 'Even after what he did to you, you would still say that?'_

_Grief made a person do terrible things. Tenma had done such bad things, to the world and to Atom himself. It had taken years to stop having nightmares of Plant 7, of being deactivated, or forced into a new body made for battle. Nothing could excuse his father's actions, but Atom understood him enough to forgive and support him when nobody else would._

_Atom remained adamant in his answer._

' _Yes.'_

_His mentor fell silent, tapping at his desk worrisomely._

' _Rock's crimes weren't as publicized or as radical as Tenma-hakase's,' Professor Ochanomizu reminded the boy robot. He hung his head, scratching his chin. 'However not all Tenma-hakase's crimes came to light. The Venus Robot incident was never pinned on him, or otherwise I'm certain his sentencing would have been far harsher.'_

' _Hakase…'_

_Professor Ochanomizu locked his hands together on his desk, making a wry face. 'I can't make promises, Atom. I'll need look into this more—think things over.'_

What followed were several visits to Tenma in prison by Professor Ochanomizu. When the man was convinced Tenma wouldn't be a danger to himself or to others, the matter behind his visits were brought to light.

Tenma's response was a simple one:

' _Do whatever Atom wishes_.'

And that was how Professor Ochanomizu was persuaded into helping them. The professor dealt with the legal aspects around the case to make such a thing possible. It hadn't been easy, a few strings needed to be pulled here and there, and both Professor Ochanomizu and Atom needed to vouch for Tenma as character references. Fortunately, being the head to the Ministry of Science gave Ochanomizu a lot of influences in the court, and the same went for Atom with his past good deeds. Having once been the ambassador for the human race against the Blue Knight, and preventing all out world war, well…it was safe to say it worked in the boy robot's favor, enough for the courts to take his word seriously.

It was long grueling process, but it went through. They won their case.

To be finally rid of that thick wall of glass between them, and have Tenma out of prison, it was— _freeing_. He didn't care what the media or the world had to think. That moment he saw his father, and his father saw him, all those conflicting emotions rose to the surface and converged.

Without skipping a beat, Atom went running at Tenma for a long overdue hug.

The camera bulbs flashed, and there was an eruption of questions from the crowd of reporters, but Atom paid them no mind.

After three years he finally had his father back, but they were no means out of the woods.

"Hm…" Tenma tilted his head to look up at the sky from the bedroom window. His enthusiasm wasn't strongly expressed for the snow as it was for Atom, but the boy could see his mind working behind those weary eyes donning bags under them. "The weatherman is wrong again. Typical."

Atom did a quick data search on the most recent of weather updates.

"Forecasts predict 50% to 70% of snow throughout the day," Atom said, still buzzing with excitement.

"Yet the predictable weather may be unpredictable still," his father said pessimistically before he took another sip from his tea. The snow continued to fall in small clusters sticking to the glass, melting on contact. "Unlikely it'll cause too much travel disruptions, but we best leave early all the same."

"Right," Atom nodded, and hurried off to leave his room "I'll go recharge!"

"Careful," Tenma said. "You'll trip."

"Ok!" Atom called back as he speeded along with the fastest of walks possible downstairs to use the charge terminal in the kitchen. Under a few minutes, his energy cells were topped up at 100% leaving the boy robot free and ready to get to work making breakfast.

They were to have Christmas at Professor Ochanomizu's house this year—their first Christmas since Tenma got out of prison. The Christmas dinner itself wouldn't be until much later on, so ensuring his father had a meal to start the day with was Atom's main priority.

Tamago-Kake-Gohan, it was one of the simple dishes the boy robot had learned to make out of many since moving in here. It was one of Tenma's favorites, so Atom always wanted to make it the best that he could.

While the water heated up on the stove, Atom went on rinsing out the rice at the sink. Once it was drained, he hopped up onto the stool at the stove to gently pour the rice into the pan, giving it a few good stirs. Leaving the rice to cook, Atom hummed to himself while fetching the eggs carton from the fridge and opened it up. Just two left.

"That isn't necessary of you to do, Atom." He heard Tenma say as he entered the kitchen. He was now dressed in his formal attire, comprised of slacks, shirt and vest. He didn't appear as sleep deprived, which the boy robot noted as a good thing.

"I've recharged, and you need your energy too," Atom reminded him, while getting the bottle of soy sauce.

There was a long analytical pause from Tenma, as he considered adding more, but the man brushed it off.

"Fair enough."

Things were mostly quiet as his father went about brewing himself a second cup of tea, while Atom saw to the rice. Another minute or so and it was cooked, and left placed ready in a bowl on the side.

Atom gave the eggs in the carton a quick scan, confirming they were still safe for editable consumption raw—which they were. Just as he picked one egg up, Tenma plucked it from his hand that.

"Eh?"

The sleeves of his father's shirt were rolled up, with that silvery electronic bracelet on display.

"See about trying it this way," Tenma said, grabbing another small bowl to break the egg on. Atom observed him as instructed, watching him separate the white from the yolk kept in its shell. His father then added a little of the soy sauce, before emptying the white into the rice.

With the yolk left over in the little dish, Tenma stirred the white into the rice with chopsticks, mixing it in. It was still a Tamago-Kake-Gohan, but not the sort Atom was used to preparing, for he had learned to just put the whole egg in all at once.

"Oh…"

Picking up the other egg, Tenma handed it to him, "Now you."

Atom nodded and got to it. He replicated it, leaving the yolk with the other yolk just as Tenma did and using the same amount of soy sauce with the white, before it was mixed into the rice.

"Good," His father praised. With the left over yolks, Atom watched Tenma place them over the still warm rice, carefully breaking them open with chopsticks and spreading the yellow goo out. "This way, it gives it a better taste."

"Really?"

"Mhmm," Tenma confirmed, setting the bowl down, and went about switching the stove off. "I have everything dealt with here. Why don't you get ready?"

"Sure."

It was times like these Atom wished he could eat human food or sample it like Uran could. At least then he'd know how it tasted like, instead of only having the recipe to work with. He wondered what kind of food he would eat if he had a stomach….

Atom left Tenma to have his breakfast, heading into the living room where traditional garland decorations were on display. The boy robot stopped midway to the stairs, choosing to go for the Christmas tree instead to switch on the lights. Happy, his attention was drawn briefly to the wall of the fireplace no longer smothered in photographs of trickery from a life he never had. Instead, a few canvas paintings hung there that his father had worked on throughout the months, alongside paintings Atom had done also—though not as good.

He smiled and hurried on upstairs.

The second floor and the main infrastructure of the house were damaged after Lamp's attack with his mech. For years after, the house stood abandoned. The city was soon to have it condemned and torn down before there was intervention on Professor Ochanomizu's part. By then they were working towards the long legal process of getting Tenma out of prison and into house arrest.

When approached on the matter, Tenma refused any other living commendations, so through his funds the house was repaired, and possessions once placed in storage returned here. It'd been strange for Atom visiting the house after it was all finished, as if stepping back in time. The uneasy feeling the building brought would inevitably fade. So long as Tenma felt at home here, that's was what mattered most.

After all, it was never intended to be a home for Atom too.

Going to the drawer in his bedroom, the boy robot changed into the clothes he had let on top the night before; black shorts, white shirt, and a red suit—all for the sake of matching the festivity colors of today. It was Atom's fourth year celebrating Christmas, but his first with Tenma present, and his first living away from Professor Ochanomizu. The excitement and nerves had his body buzzing with energy; he wanted things to go well so badly.

Fitting on his bow tie, Atom dropped to his knees to look under his bed, sliding out the parcel-sized present he had wrapped a few nights before. The gifts for everybody else were already loaded into the trunk of the car, but this one was extra important.

Atom kept it tucked behind his back when he went downstairs, keeping the present hidden. He waited until Tenma was done with his breakfast and washed up in the bathroom, before he offered that neatly wrapped present to him.

"Here, Otousan. Happy Christmas!"

There was no reaction of surprise from Tenma. He stared at the gift extended out to him for well what felt like forever. Gently, he took it from Atom, much to the boy's relief.

"Thank you, Atom."

His excitement shifted gradually to confusion, as the boy robot watched his father go and set the present down on the coffee table in the living room.

"A-Aren't you going to open it?"

Atom was met with a polite refusal. "Indeed in my own time, but perhaps it best we wait until we return from Ochanomizu's." Tenma gave a sly smile. "Besides, I already know what it is—or maybe I don't?"

"You're bluffing," Atom said almost challenging.

Tenma just gave an overzealous shrug, almost as if he were teasing him.

Atom pouted. "I'm not telling."

"Good." Was all Temna said, and went to get his shoes on. It left the poor boy robot wondering on whether his father was telling the truth, or just telling porkies.

Atom looked over at the present on table left unopened. He was disappointed, but understood. Tenma was a man who liked his privacy. It'd taken a lot of convincing on Atom's part for Tenma to even go along with him to Professor Ochanomizu's for Christmas. His father hated socializing, especially now as he couldn't walk down the street without someone recognizing or challenging him over what he had done. Without Atom or Professor Ochanomizu, he would be alone as he was back in his cell.

"Anyhow," Tenma continued on with. "I would very much enjoy seeing you receive your own present first."

Atom's ears perked up. "You got me something?"

"It would've been rude of me not to," Tenma said, leaning down briefly to straighten Atom's wonky bow tie. "It should arrive at Ochanomizu's today—if the man did his part right."

"Can you tell me what it is now?" Atom asked, hilting his head. "Just a little hint?"

"If I were to tell you, then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" Tenma said somewhat amused as he fitted on his long coat. He then reached for the little red coat hanging up on the peg and offered it to the boy robot.

"Well, maybe you can tell me anyway. I can act surprised in front of everyone!" Atom suggested while taking the coat.

Tenma only smiled. "Acting is not your forte, Atom."

A gift that Professor Ochanomizu was in on…

So long as it wasn't anything like a new robot body as what had been sprung on Atom back in the Antarctica, then he was happy. Tenma wasn't in his right mind then, but wasn't something Atom could forget easily—whether or not he had forgiven his father for everything he put him through.

Tenma still believed Atom should be king of all robots, although he made no active efforts to force him to pursue it; those days were through. Even with the ban preventing Tenma from working in the field of robotics indefinitely, there was still a mental block there the man couldn't cross. If his father really wanted to, Atom was sure he would have found a way to build more robots in secrecy again, yet he didn't. Tenma probably could have just as easily found a way to remove the tracking devices from his wrist, ankle, and neck and disappear too, but he didn't do that neither.

Instead of robotics that'd been his life's work, Tenma occupied himself with other hobbies. He played chess, learned to paint and tried his hand at gardening before the weather got nasty. The biggest change had been the basement that had been converted into a workshop for carpentry—not machinery. Father had gained a keen interest wood carving, from making furniture, to other wooden trinkets. Atom was surprised how fast he picked the skill up, that Detective Tawashi was convinced it was a ruse, having dropped in several times with warrants to search the workshop inside out, only to turn up nothing.

Atom had been fully prepared to receive something handmade from that workshop for Christmas, as the other presents Tenma were gifting would be coming from there. So to get Professor Ochanomizu involved on his present in particular made Atom all the more curious.

He didn't care what he got, as long as they were all together.

Red boots squeaking with every step, Atom went into the dining room to retrieve bouquet of flowers on the table by the window. Water droplets fell on every surface from the long green stems as Atom lifted the bouquet out from the vase, quick to wrap them up, ensuing the stems would not dry out before reaching their destination.

Flowers were more Uran's thing, but Atom couldn't deny the blue and orange petals looked pretty. He gave them a sniff, picking up the small traces of pollen in his sensors. He wondered what they smelt like—if it was a nice smell. It made him sad thinking they would wither and die faster in this colder weather.

Shutting off the lights to the Christmas tree, Atom hurried along to meet Tenma at the front door. There was a silent acknowledgement of the flowers, before his father put on his hat and turned away to slot something into the pocket of his coat.

As they stepped outside and walked through the snowfall around to the garage, Atom's imagination went wild at what possible gift could involve Ochanomizu, and one of sorts that needed to be delivered to the minister's house on Christmas day. Somehow through all the potential possibilities, two Urans to running amok in his mind stuck out the most.

Atom wrinkled his nose as Tenma opened up the garage door. "This gift you have for me, is it another sister?"

The man smiled knowingly. "No, but I cannot promise the same from Ochanomizu."

"O—Oh."

While his father got everything ready with the car, Atom placed the flowers in the backseat behind him before switching on the radio. Messing with the dial, he tuned into the classical radio station, where a harp ballade played alongside the familiar voice of an opera singer. It immediately took Atom back to many years ago, thinking of the elusive spy robot who enjoyed listening that same music.

Atom found himself leaving the channel on.

"An interesting choice," Tenma noted as he shut the car door, buckling himself in.

The boy robot smiled, wriggling his feet as he looked up at his father. "Mmhmm, not really; it reminds me of somebody."

Tenma hummed thoughtfully, his focus set ahead of him. He was quiet for a bit, until—

"Seatbelt."

"Oh, r-right!"

Having everything they needed, Tenma drove them out the gates and they were on their way. Although the roads were cleared of snow and any ice thanks to the city's robots, Tenma drove carefully—like always.

They had a few stops to make before going to Professor Ochanomizu's for Christmas, as it was tradition for Atom to stop by and drop off Christmas presents to his friends. This was the first year Atom was doing deliveries by car. He'd insisted he could fly and get it all done early in the morning before they headed off, but his father still offered to drive him—for reasons he didn't specify.

"How many?" Tenma asked, referring to the stops.

"Six." Atom said. "A lot of them are close together, so it shouldn't take too long."

Tenma nodded, and focused on the road.

"Very well."

Atom lifted his head up to the glass to view the houses in the neighborhood where he saw some occupants already awake. Christmas trees were alit with lights through windows; human children running out excited to play in the front yard, to a robot couple watching the snow.

A few minutes into the journey, Tenma set the car ready to ascend from the street, beginning to hover over several neighborhoods from that point on. Atom sighted only a few other vehicles sky-bound over Metro City, but it still pretty early. While the window wipers did their thing to clean the windscreen of that snow, from the wing mirror Atom noticed a vehicle tailing them some distance away—almost the size of an ant.

It was a police car, if the dog design of the blue and white vehicle was anything to go on.

Atom didn't bring it up, as it was so routine to see them by now. As he settled back down in his seat, he caught Tenma peering into his rear view mirror, a coy smile lifting the corner of the man's mouth a short time after.

Alongside the ban with working in the field of robotics, Tenma was kept under surveillance as per the terms of his release. It was guaranteed that even if it appeared they were alone, most definitely they were being watched from undercover police, or via cameras.

It was an annoyance, but nowhere near of annoying as the news crews who used to camp outside their house. They parked on the other side of the street once Tenma put the sprinklers by the fence, and then disappeared completely after they were attacked by a swarm of bird droppings. Atom couldn't help thinking Uran had something to do with the latter.

Tenma's car gradually lost altitude, and eventually they arrived at their first stop.

Atom undid his seatbelt and hopped out. "Ok, be right back."

Opening the trunk, the boy robot quickly found the present he was searching for, and leapt up to pull the trunk shut again. The front door to the house was already opening by the time Atom hurried up the driveway, and he saw his hat obsessed friend waving at him enthusiastically.

"Atom!"

"Tama-chan!"

When Atom first told Tamao, Kenichi and Shibugaki at school he was planning to move in with his father, he thought they all took it pretty well…until that is, they kidnapped him right out of class.

' _It's alright Atom!'_

' _We'll get you to Ochanomizu-hakase! It'll be okay!'_

It was their foiled attempt to rescue their robot friend who they believed to be yet again brainwashed by Tenma. It wasn't a fun ordeal, and had taken a lot explaining on Atom's part before he managed to talk them down. By then, the group of teenage boys had successfully carried Atom off from the school premises and halfway down the street. Atom was impressed by how fast they ran.

' _But why would you wanna stay with that psycho?' Shibugaki was the first to question after Atom explained everything. The response the large teen got was an immediate bonk on the head by Kenichi's fist._

' _Can it, Shibugaki! If Atom has his reasons, then he has his reasons!' The avid soccer player said, only to cast doubt in his troubled gaze. 'I can't lie though. I wasn't expecting you to do this, I mean…'_

' _Right!?' Tamao followed with. 'The last time Tenma-hakase kept you there at that house he wiped your memory! And then what he did at the Ministry Science building too—are you sure this is really what you want?'_

' _Yes.'_

_Shibugaki scoffed. 'Why!? This is insane Atom!'_

' _I can't explain it to you yet. I'm sorry…'_

As they had gotten older, Atom's friends became more protective of him. They didn't treat him like a baby, but their age difference in appearance was having more of an affect on their friendship when Atom himself didn't physically age. Often they still viewed him as that naïve looking nine year old who first arrived in their class—someone they needed to look out for, rather than everyone looking out for each other.

Their reactions that day were warranted, and their hearts were in the right place. All things considered, they were a lot nicer than the rest of the world had been about Tenma, but they left the discussion not really on Atom's side—more concerned for this wellbeing than anything else. It took months for some sense of normality between the four friends to return.

"I can't stay long this time," Atom said, and held out the present containing the new tools his friend asked for. "This is for you!"

"Ah! Thank you, Atom!" Tamao said graciously, the lanky teen having to lean down a bit as he had grown so much that summer. "Wait right there; I'll go get yours!"

His friend disappeared indoors for a good minute. Atom picked up the sound of his friend running up the stairs, along with some chatter between his family somewhere inside. Out of courtesy, the boy robot didn't increase his hearing to eavesdrop in.

Upon his return, Tamao poked is head out the door. "Sorry I didn't get time to wrap it—felt kind of wrong to anyhow." He yanked the door open fully in a dramatic reveal. "Behold! It's my newest invention! Or um—first duplicate of my newest invention!"

Atom tilted his head with a curious blink, his electronic brain working overtime to analyze what he was seeing.

It was pink puffy creature bearing some resemblance of a pig, with a white bandage stuck to its head. A scan confirmed it contained mechanical parts inside this plush exterior, but Atom couldn't figure out the design, or if it had a kokoro…

The piggy in question gave a sudden squeak in his friend's hand, startling Atom.

"I call him, Hyoutan-tsugi!" Tamao said proudly. "I'm thinking of making a large batch of him."

Atom accepted the present and carefully lifted the piggy up, receiving another squeak from the creature as it released a string of bubbles from its snout. "What does he do?"

To this, Tamao only tapped his nose and winked. "That's the mystery. Nobody will ever really know—even me!"

Atom stared with his mouth agape, before he burst out laughing. "That's awesome, Tamao-chan! Thank you!"

His friend laughed with him. "I'm glad you like it!"

Atom hopped off the step, taking Hyoutan-tsugi with him. "I have to get going now. Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas! Oh—wait, Atom!"

"Hm?"

Tamao gave the boy robot a thumbs up. "If Tenma-hakase wants one, you let me know!"

Atom grinned. "Sure thing! Thanks Tamao-Chan!"

His father didn't seem to know what to make of Hyoutn-tsugi, looking more bewildered than anything. At least Tenma did give Atom's friend the added compliment of being a unique inventor.

The next stop off was to Kenichi. The teen's family had been struggling financially after his mom lost her job as an accountant. Kenichi was run ragged doing newspaper deliveries and small jobs around the neighbors just to make some yen. He'd been struggling to get the funds together for new soccer gear as he was fast outgrowing his team uniform, but at the most Kenichi was only able to afford new soccer shoes. He refused any charity or help from his friends, so behind his back Atom, Tamao and Shibugaki came together to buy Kenichi the new soccer uniform the teen so desperately needed.

Kenichi had been in tears when they surprised him the day before the new soccer season, and he looked on the verge of tears again today when he realized Atom had gotten him shin pads.

"Atom you shouldn't have. You guys have done enough for me." Kenichi rubbed his forearm over his face, wiping away the tears. "I-I'll make it up to you. I'll pay you back like everybody else I promise!"

"You don't owe us anything. Soccer's your dream, Kenichi. Just keep playing that's enough for us." Atom searched in coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. "Here."

Kenichi confusedly took it. "What's this?"

Atom swayed back and forth from his heels to his toes. "I ran your okaasan's credentials through the system, and narrowed down the list employers hiring with her qualifications and experience. They're all letters confirming interviews for the New Year."

Kenichi's eyes light up at the news, already watering up again with fresh tears. "A-Are you serious Atom!? You found Okaasan a job!?"

Atom didn't add how he obtained Kenichi's mother's details to send them off, nor that he had set up a private mail box to receive any successful applications. Higeoyaji's secretive detective ways had worn off on him a little bit—for better or worse.

"They're only interviews, but they're all in the city and she's got a good chance so—" Atom didn't get another word out when his friend hauled him off his feet and proceeded to huge the life out of the boy robot.

"Atom, thank you! THANK YOU! You're the best friend I could ever ask for! This is too much!" Kenichi sobbed, soon to release Atom from his clutches. He was shaking with excitement. "I gotta tell Okaasan right again! Thank you! I'll make this up to you I swear it!"

From hearing the commotion, Kenichi's mother soon joined her son on the doorsteps where more tears were shed once the news was broken to her. What followed was an amusing effort from the ecstatic woman trying to offer Atom a whole strawberry short cake in gratitude for his help.

Atom left both mother and son still celebrating on the doorstep as he waved him goodbye. Kenichi's mother still gave him the strawberry short cake on her insistence Atom take something.

Tenma didn't complain. He liked strawberries.

When it came to stopping by on Shibugaki, the teen was more aloof than usual. Throughout Shibugaki showed visible discomfort, sparing several glances passed Atom to the car parked on the street, as if expecting to catch a glimpse of Tenma through the blackened windows.

"I still don't understand how you went through with it, Atom." The teen came out with, referring to the obvious.

Atom's jaw locked up, finding it difficult to look at his friend.

"I mean it," Shibugaki continued as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, eyeing the robot incredulously. "If it were me, I never could've done it, so why?"

It took a while for Atom to gather himself, formulating an answer that came from an honest place.

"We're family," He said. "Family sticks together."

The large teen grumbled, but didn't push it any further for he'd long lost that argument. He held up his gift. "Thanks for the headphones." Then from inside Shibugaki retrieved something in arm's reach and passed out a present the boy robot easily caught. "This is for you. Stay safe, Atom."

With that, Shibugaki gave a wave with a weak smile, and shut the door. Atom remained on the front porch for a while after, his red boots glued to the welcome mat. With a sigh, he turned and stepped out into the gentle snow flurry, following his fresh tracks back to the car.

Maybe Atom was wrong when said things were normal again.

It felt like a book, whatever Shibugaki got him. As soon as Atom was strapped back in, and the strawberry short cake placed back on his lap [with noticeably less strawberries] he carefully tore open the shabby red wrapping paper.

Atom's could've jumped out of his seat for joy.

"Peter Pan!"

It was a hardback copy, a new edition of the classic tale. Atom had been a fan of Peter Pan ever since he had learned of the story of the boy who never grew up. Any book, TV Show, Film Adaption or theatrical plays, Atom had read and seen everything; his friends still playfully joked about his obsession time to time. For Atom, Peter Pan was a character he could relate to.

Tenma glanced over, seeming intrigued as Atom opened the book. The boy discovered a message on the first page, written in large scruffy handwriting:

_**We meant what we said that day in Neverland** _

_**We'll always be your friend.** _

_**-Shibugaki** _

Atom smiled, feeling his mechanical heart grow warm inside his chest. Carefully he shut the book, leaning behind him to place it in the backseat next to the Hyoutan-tsugi. The creature blew more bubbles at him, making Atom giggle.

"Fairytales never spiked my interest." Tenma confessed as the boy robot settled back down.

"Oh?" Atom looked over at him attentively. "What did you read as a kid?"

Tenma briefly drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Charles Dickens."

Atom glanced in the wing mirror, the cop car still visible and lurking behind them. He sunk into his seat.

"Bah humbug."

To his surprise, Tenma chuckled.

It took less than hour to deliver the rest of the presents. Reno was away from Metro City to visit his robot family at the circus, so Atom left his gift with the teenager's legally appointed human guardians for when he returned. Nearing the coast, Atom caught his teacher Miss Midori as she was leaving her apartment. She gratefully thanked Atom for the scarf, before she got on her scooter and was on her way to meet Jumbo standing visible at the park down the hill.

Shortly after this Atom and Tenma's happened to cross paths Yoko's uncle, Mr. Higeoyaji the Detective, who was busy spending his Christmas investigating the whereabouts of a missing Chihuahua named, Muffin-Chan.

"She was last spotted wearing a Santa sweater. Recognize her?"

Atom surveyed over the photo held out to him of the small dog. He shook his head.

"Sorry, I've not seen her anywhere. Would you like me to help you?"

"No, no don't you worry, Atom. I got this one. But be sure to tell Ochanomizu-hakase if I can make it, I will." Higeoyaji sighed as he put the photo away, and rubbed the arms of his trench coats. "Yuu-san will chew me up for being late, but duty calls."

Atom chuckled sheepishly, feeling bad for the man living in fear of Miss Yuko's wrath.

"Alright well, good luck!"

The mustached man nodded, turning towards Tenma in his car and gave a _**I'm watching you**_ gesture with his hand. In response, Atom's father revved the car's engine, startling Mr. Higeoyaji who was quick to be on his way.

"S-See ya later kid! And hey, thanks for the gloves!"

Last on Atom's list were newly weds: Delta and Epsilon. Atom chose to fly up to their apartment rather than take the stairs. In the process of doing so, he caught the pair sharing a moment under the mistletoe through the frosted glass.

The mistletoe in question was attached to a headband Delta was wearing—a novelty item Atom never imagined Delta of all people wearing, that he couldn't help but stare.

The couple quickly realized they weren't alone, and Delta's face fell flat as he promptly ripped the novelty headband off, tossing it away. If robots like Delta were capable of blushing like a human, his fuming face would've turned bright red.

The window swung open.

"ATOM! What gives you the right to spy on an off-duty officer!?" Delta yelled, making Atom do a back-flip in the air as the boy robot retreat back with a yelp.

"Sorry Delta, I—" From where he hovered, Atom held out the present in its blue and green wrapping paper as a peace offering. "This is for you and Epsilon!"

Epsilon squeezed in next to her partner to lean out the window. She took the whole situation in her stride, her smile as bright as the sun.

"For the two of us?" She asked.

Atom nodded. "Yup!"

Epsilon beckoned him in, while coaxing her husband to move aside at the same time. "Well don't waste your energy. Come inside."

Delta and Epsilon were somewhat aware of each other even before the incident with Pluto. It was only after Robotonia they formally met.

Atom only knew what they shared with him, but essentially there had been a special case which involved the ARRS to work alongside Epsilon. Endangered species of marine life were being stolen from aquariums and snatched from the oceans, all to be sold on the black market in and around Metro City. Through their efforts, Delta with his team and Epsilon were able to bring down the operation, where they recovered a large quantity of the animals, but it wasn't such a clean cut case.

The sea life intended to be sold off to wealthy buyers for display in their personal tanks were the lucky ones. Those sold to be exotic dishes, or to be harvested for their shells and bones suffered the greatest losses—many weren't rescued in time.

Epsilon had been devastated.

' _It was terrible, Atom. I'm grateful you weren't there. That's not something you needed to see.'_

Both Delta and Epsilon were nominated for the Robot Awards for their efforts breaking down the illegal ring that year, but midway through the ceremony, Epsilon up and left. Despite saving so many, to her losing those few didn't make her worthy of any award.

When Epsilon took off flying away from the Robot Awards, Delta immediately went straight after her. Atom had been at the event too as a nominee, and concerned for Epsilon also had quickly followed after the two robots…but he had no need to in the end. When they'd touched down on the beach of a nearby island, Delta was the one who had done most the talking, and had been the most successful in reaching through to Epsilon in her time of grief when she was near inconsolable.

' _We can't save every life, Epsilon. No matter how tough times get, we mustn't give in. Work is never done. There'll always be others who need our protection, so we have to go on—for them.'_

Delta was the one who offered to stay with Epsilon, assuring to Atom he had things covered. With Epsilon's insistence to the boy robot she would be alright, Atom took the cue they wanted to be alone and left them be.

In the weeks to follow, there were many times Atom caught the two robots together. When Atom approached Delta on the subject however he quickly became defensive, claiming Atom nosy and immediately dropped the subject. It wasn't until much later, Atom learned Delta and Epsilon had become quite close through their dealings with that case, and had been making plans to meet when the pair was off-duty. They had fallen in love—a secret that wasn't really a secret to anybody by that point.

They became a couple, and two years later, Delta and Epsilon were one of the first few robots be wedded once the law made it legal. Atom, Uran, Professor Ochanomizu and Robita were happy attendees invited to the special occasion, alongside Detective Tawashi and much of the police force.

Epsilon put a hand to her cheek, absolutely beaming with joy while holding up that elegant picture frame.

"Oh Atom, it's beautiful."

It was a photograph of Epsilon and Delta together in their wedding attire. It was long after the vows, when the party had winded down, and not many guests were left. It was a quiet moment between the two robots, seated at the steel gazebo of roses down by the lake during the sunset on that special evening.

"This wasn't taken by one of the photographers,' Delta leaned over to study the photo in question with an eye of scrutiny. "What were you doing spying on us?"

Epsilon eyes darted to her husband. "Delta!"

Atom thought he could feel his face grow hot.

The boy robot held up his hands, waving them frantically. "Not spying! Robita was the one who snapped the image and stored it in her memory. So, it's really from her." Atom realized that sounded wrong, and fumbled over his words to correct himself. "A-And she wasn't spying on you neither! She liked the garden at the venue, and wanted to take a stroll before we left."

"Ah, well then erm," Delta flustered, clearly embarrassed and breaking under his wife's sharp dagger gaze. "It is, very—very nice. Thank you, Atom. Tell her that."

"I will." Atom nodded relieved.

Epsilon relaxed again, smiling.

"Thank you, we're grateful." Her attention strayed, sparing a look over that spick and span apartment to the window. Epsilon confidence waned. "Where is, uh…."

Atom caught on to who Epsilon was referring to. "Oh, Otousan's waiting in the car downstairs. We've got one more stop, and then we'll be going to Ochanomizu-hakase's; he invited us over for Christmas." He tilted his head, "You're still welcome to come; I don't think Hakase will mind. Pluto said he'll be stopping by, and Atlas said he _might_ drop in."

"No can do I'm afraid. Delta will be on duty soon, and I need to take over patrolling the Pacific Ocean." Epsilon said sadly, going over to prop the wedding photo up on the cabinet with the other memories between the couple framed there. Gravely she bowed her head, her face hidden by the locks of her emerald hair. "Some illegal whaling has been on the rise. Even with all the laws put in place to halt it, they still do it. It really feels like an uphill struggle sometimes…"

Hearing her say those words, struck a cord with Atom. Even with robots having rights, there was still discrimination to their kind. Epsilon cared so deeply about nature and the wildlife on this planet, only for it to be threatened time and again.

Atom wished there was more that he could do.

"If you ever need help—"

"No, Atom please you do so much as it is. We can't rely on you for everything." Epsilon strained a smile, and gave a little peace sign. "Besides I have Gideon and his siblings on my side. They've been a great help keeping the whales and other marine life safe."

Of course, the pod of robot dolphins Reno had been creating for Gideon. Atom needed to stop by sometime and see them again. From what Reno mentioned Gideon's confidence had been growing immensely ever since he had his brothers and sisters on his side, and now he'd been promoted to a protector of the oceans. It made the boy robot happy how far the marine robot had come.

Atom spotted the clock on the stand, not realizing how much time had already passed.

"I-I gotta get going!" The boy turned on his heels to run for the window, waving at the couple. "Good luck with today. By—"

"Wait, Atom!" Delta called out, making the boy robot skid to a halt. The police robot approached, making the height difference between the two machines very obvious. "May I have a word with you in private?"

Something in the way Delta spoke made Atom's mood falter.

As if sensing it too, Epsilon went to her partner.

"Delta—"

The police robot raised a hand to her, signaling to let her hear him out. "It'll just be a quick chat, that's all."

The place Delta chose for him and Atom to speak in private was the back room. What would have been a bedroom for humans was converted into a workshop for maintenance and minor repairs, with an additional charging station. Everything was well organized in here like the rest of the apartment, but no bed.

Sometimes Atom forgot not all robots needed to sleep like him and Uran did.

Delta double checked the door was shut behind them, his stern voice quiet when he spoke, as so Epsilon didn't overhear them.

"Atom, it's about Tenma-hakase."

He was so direct it threw the boy robot off.

"Detective Tawashi still has him under high surveillance," Delta continued, his mouth narrowing to a thin line. "But I'm sure you're already aware of that."

Atom remembered the police vehicle tailing them earlier. No doubt it was parked somewhere nearby watching his father in the car at that very moment.

"Y—Yeah."

"He'll jump at any opportunity to put him behind bars again." Delta said. "Don't give him a chance to, or to prove him you were wrong."

Atom nodded awkwardly, tapping the toes of his red boot nervously to the silence which followed. He wished that was all they had to talk about so he could leave, but of course Delta had more to say.

"How has Tenma-hakase been with you?" The question held concern there—unusual for Delta to ask. The years with Epsilon had changed him. "Does everything seem _well_ with him to you?

"Of course he is!" Atom answered almost instantly.

Delta only stared him down. "Is that the honest truth?"

Atom averted attention to the floor again, uncomfortable for being so put on the spot. In that moment he thought about the therapy and medication Tenma underwent in prison—how it had a negative effect on his mood. In those early days Tenma couldn't even bear to look at Atom, the confessions of guilt for all he'd done as a father and a human being all too common.

Upon Tenma's release from prison, it was as if his father were experiencing things for the first time again. After being imprisoned in a cell for three years, the simple freedom of being able to stand outside and feel the breeze weren't taken for granted. Everyday had been a stepping stone of progress.

The first time Atom got his father to leave the house, was to visit the stables outside of the city. The boy robot had felt a great deal of happiness upon seeing Tenma's reaction to the horses, and watching him interacting with them—a first in so many years.

' _Pegasus,' Atom read out on the name written above one of the stalls where he had climbed up on the wooden fence. The light bay colored coat of the horse almost seemed to shine in the sunlight coming in through the stable windows. 'He looks beautiful.'_

' _She.' Tenma corrected beside him._

' _Oh…'_

_Not waiting for permission from the staff there to be in let in, his father unlocked the gate and stepped into that stall without any apprehension. Still grazing on the straw in the hanger, the horse Pegasus had turned her head towards the stranger in her stall, hooves clonking as she started to move._

" _Otousan—"_

_Tenma signaled Atom to stay back, so he did. His father remained still, allowing that horse to approach him on her own terms. Tail flicking and ears forward, she inspected him inquisitively with a several sniffs of her large nose, showing no visible fear to the Tenma's presence—not like the rest of the world did._

Atom _had soon gotten a shock when the horse unexpectedly brought her head forward to nuzzle the man, getting pieces of straw on his clothes._

_She was friendly._

_Slowly Tenma reached up and gently patted the animal, seeming content and at peace in that moment than the boy robot had seen him in years._

' _When did you learn to ride?' Atom had asked while he kept by the stall door._

' _In my youth,' his father had answered, almost subdued. 'It was a long time ago…'_

_Atom cocked his head. 'Do you still remember how?'_

_And to this, his father's attention from the horse broke back to him, and he smiled._

' _I could teach you.'_

That was the day Tenma taught Atom how to a ride a horse, without it being one from a hologram. He showed him how to saddle up, how to ride properly and not pull the reins too hard, and most importantly how to stay in tune with the horse. At first Tenma had walked alongside him holding the reins, but before long, Atom was riding that horse all on his own around the paddock.

A few days after, they went to a real river to go fishing, and it was just them together the entire day. There were never any talks of Atom being some robot ruler, or plans for his evolution through senseless fighting. It was just Tenma being there in his life, being the father Atom longed from him.

"…He's a lot better than he was before," Atom said slowly, still keeping his eyes low as he fidgeted with the sleeves of his coat. "Otousan's more… _reserved_ now. He gets annoyed sometimes sure, but I hardly ever see him angry. I think he's happy, happier than he was before."

Delta was like a statue, tall and almost menacing in how he didn't give anything away. The police robot soon pried Atom for more info.

"And his treatment of you?"

Atom snapped his head up at Delta, glaring at him as electricity coursed through his circuits.

"What do you mean?" He challenged.

"Don't act surprise. You're smarter than that," Delta replied with intently, making Atom angry. But deep down, he knew where Delta was coming from—why he would ask such things.

The ARRS team were the ones who rescued Atom and Tenma before Plant 7's explosion. Delta, alongside Professor Ochanomizu had seen first-hand the damage Tenma had done to Atom with the kuri ring. Atom was under repairs for weeks before he finally could be reactivated again. It was only fortunate the press hadn't seen what a mess Atom was in at the time, or they'd of had a field day. That said his absence sure did circulate rumors of its own…

Atom bitterly looked away, clenching his fists. " _I'm fine._ Otousan hasn't done anything to hurt me. He won't even go near working on robotics; Ochanomizu-hakase deals with all my maintenance and repairs."

"That's all I need to know. So long as he continues to keep out of trouble, there shouldn't be any made towards him," Delta said as a warning than a threat. "I'm sorry, Atom. You've dealt with a lot, I'm sure. I can't always understand or agree with what you do, but I hope for your sakes you've made the right call."

Atom's ears detected movement near the door, and tensed up. Epsilon was listening in.

Delta picked up on this also, upon spotting Atom's attention being drawn away from him. Wisely he chose then and there to wrap things up.

"Just be safe. It's in all of Metro City's best interests, and yours," The police robot said hardheartedly. He turned and went to leave, the intention of ending their discussion there.

Atom spoke up before Delta could reach the door.

"Otousan didn't want me to forgive him." Stopping, Delta shifted to look back, and the boy robot fell under the scrutiny of that glass-eyed gaze once again. Atom didn't hold anything back. "He told me that in prison when I went to visit him. Everyday, he's trying to make up for the past—to me and to Tobio."

Atom could feel the energy pulsing in his chest, heated with so much anger. He shut his eyes, taking those deep artificial breaths to calm himself down. He tried to think of the things that made him hope, like the games of chess he and Tenma played together and religiously kept scores on from way back in prison when Atom visited him. Tenma always told him to play honestly—never to let him win.

Atom didn't expect the world to bend over backwards to accept Tenma, but he did wish everyone would stop treading around his father like he was a bomb waiting to go off. There was good in Tenma still, and he had a future— _they_ had a future. Atom believed in that wholeheartedly.

"If Pluto and Atlas can earn themselves redemption and change for the better, then I believe Otousan can too." Bravely the boy robot raised his head to face the police robot. "Even if he doesn't believe it in himself yet, _I do_."

Delta's face was expressionless, unreadable. He raised no counter argument and remained silent.

Atom hoped he understood.

A short moment passed until the door cracked opened and Epsilon popped her head in. "Is everything alright?"

And there it was, the mask of seriousness came off and Delta became almost bashful again, rubbing the back of his bald head. "Yes. We're uh—all done here."

Epsilon swooped on in, shaking a finger at the robot. "Good! Because you sir are going to be late for work, and have my own business to attention to if you haven't forgotten."

Lightly putting a hand on Atom's back, the green-haired robot gently escorted from the room like an angel.

"Let me see you out, Atom. It's probably best you take the stairs from now on," she said, then added in an intentional loud whisper. "Delta's a little bit of a rust bucket when it comes to guests using the window. You'd think he were an old bot on his last bolts."

"R-Rust bucket!?" Her husband blurted out, and Atom somehow found it in him to chuckle.

Outside the apartment in the stairwell, Epsilon glanced back quickly, before kneeling down be eye level with the boy robot. "Take care, Atom. And remember, if you ever need us, we're here for you." She said, and gave his nose a _boop_ with her finger. "Alright?"

Immediately embarrassed Atom wiped his nose, grinning. "Happy Christmas, Epsilon."

"You too…"

He backed off and headed on down the stairs. "Bye!"

Epsilon gave a wave back, but it was a while of descending those stairs before Atom finally heard the apartment door shut. His smile dropped as soon as he was out of the woman's sight.

"You were a while." Tenma said as soon as Atom got back in the car. The radio was still tuned into the classical music, some relaxing piano tune playing the boy robot couldn't place, but it sounded nice.

It took Atom mighty best not to let it show that anything was wrong.

"We were talking a while. Epsilon mentioned about the whaling going on that she's been trying to tackle," Atom said as he put the strawberry cream cake back on his lap, except there was only one strawberry left by this point.

"Was that all?" His father asked indifferently.

"Pretty much," Atom said, focusing more attentively on that cake. "Hey, I think I know who we are. Santa Claus."

"Hm…the role is far too jolly for my intellect," Tenma stated with a sense of pride to his words.

Atom stared at that single plump strawberry, thinking of a big red nose. He grinned and looked up at Tenma.

"Then I'm Santa, and you can be Rudolf."

His father's reaction was mixed, staring at Atom as if he had sprouted a second head. With a cough, Tenma adjusting silk puff-tie, and released the hand brake.

"Well then, we best be off."

They were due to be at Professor Ochanomizu's house in another half an hour. Before that however, there was one last place they needed to go…

The snow was still falling when they pulled up at the Metro City Cemetery. The drive here was quiet. Even now as they sat there in the car with the engine running and the radio on low, they said not a word.

Wriggling his ankle joints anxiously to the beat of those window wipers, Atom looked up at Tenma, and caught the man looking out at the cemetery entrance with a thousand-yard stare. His father's pale face was devoid of anything, his hands firmly gripped on the steering wheel, making no effort to get out the car.

It scared Atom when he was like his.

"Otousan?"

Tenma jumped in his skin, snapping out of it. His eyes were wide and semi-alert, but he refused to look at Atom. His father nodded without saying anything, and finally went about shutting off the engine and undoing his seatbelt. Atom did the same, and soon had hopped out once Tenma started exit the car.

Opening the back passenger door, Atom carefully picked up the boutique of flowers from the backseat, only to be surprised when Tenma came round to his side of the car. Atom understood without anything needing to be asked and held out the boutique to him, and Tenma carefully took them.

Together they stepped through the large stone torii gate, and journeyed into the land of those put to rest. Amongst the rows of tombstones laden in snow, fresh prints marked those paths where others had trodden. They weren't the only ones in that cemetery; families members were there paying their respects to their loved ones also.

Atom spotted a few around, but didn't stare or idle. They needed their privacy just as much as—

A poorly placed step had Tenma slip unexpectedly on some hidden ice beneath the snow, and he nearly dropped the boutique of flowers. Atom instinctively grabbed his arm, but his father had already righted himself with a grumble.

"Are you okay?"

Tenma gave a nod, straightening himself out. "Yes."

Atom hesitated for a moment. "Should I, I can melt the snow if you—"

Tenma gave a firm no, stating "Not in this place." Implying how it would be disrespectful to the dead. So Atom held back from doing so, instead choosing to holding his father's hand incase he were to slip again. Tenma didn't seem to mind that.

They were soon to follow a winding stone trail up a small hill, passing the bare cherry trees and the worn faces of jizo statues. At the top of steps they walked through another stone torii gate thick with icicles, which brought them to a small clearing in the trees. Residing here were more tombstones—their designs more lavish expense to the ones below.

His father halted in his tracks, creating a small tug on Atom's arm when the boy robot tried to walk forward. One gander at him and Atom knew Tenma was tethering on the edge, rooting the man to the spot in fear at what he could already see ahead of him. It took a supportive squeeze of his hand from the boy robot to pull him back from the brink.

Tenma looked down at him, afflicted with such anguish that pained Atom greatly to see, but he didn't let go—he didn't dare.

They couldn't run away from this.

With his help, Atom walked Tenma the rest of the way through the clearing, and to the tombstone placed below one of those cherry trees.

The granite stone was shaped into several doves, their wings open in flight. Near the base of the monument, Atom leaned over to wipe away the snow, revealing the gold inscriptions in the stone.

_**Hoshie Tenma** _

_**1961 - 1996** _

_**Tobio Tenma** _

_**1994 - 2003** _

It was strange sometimes, knowing so much about Tobio from the inside out. Atom shared the same experiences and memories as Tobio as if they were his own. They weren't the same person, and they had never truly met, yet that connection stayed rooted in him, made Atom part of who he was. In his mind, Tobio would always be his older brother, and nothing would change that.

Tobio's mother meanwhile, there were little to no memories of the woman Atom could recount from Tobio. There were only small glimpses of Hoshie, the details so vague there wasn't even a face, just her presence and her angelic voice singing the lullabies which had caused Tobio to grow so attached to Robita when growing up.

' _She worked at the Ministry of Science—a very talented woman. You would have liked her.'_

Tenma hardly spoke of Hoshie. Atom could coax little from him other than tidbits of information and what the main data base stored on her. Atom could only imagine she had to be someone very, very special to Tenma, for them to marry and have a child together, yet the topic was too difficult to approach without upsetting his him.

Maybe someday when he was ready, Tenma would share more. Atom hoped that he would.

Quietly the boy robot went to work on removing the rest of the snow from tombstone, along with those few twigs and old sodden leaves stuck to the granite. As he cleaned around to the sides, Tenma finally came alive. Taking off his hat, the man slowly knelt down to begin arranging the flowers from the bouquet.

Atom deliberately took his time, picking away the weeds that were growing around the bottoms of the tombstone, until his father was done fixing those flowers into the two memorial vases on either side of the grave's inscription. Once Atom had done all he could, he carefully came back around as Father was lighting the incense on the stand, and it was there the both of them were to stand, giving a silent prayer to the dead.

' _After a person passes away, a part of them continues to live on in the memories of those who remember them. So long as we cherish those memories, then they will never be forgotten.'_

That was what Professor Ochanomizu had told him years ago, when Atom had been taught about the cycle of life and death, and the feelings that came from losing a loved one. Atom had learned a great deal in his adventures, meeting so many people from all walks of life. He learned of how humans worshipped different gods, and how even the Venus robots deep down in the ocean viewed their Captain as such. He learned not just about the hearts every living creature possessed, but in the soul some humans believed lived on long after the body perished.

Atom liked to believe that a thing such as the soul could exist for both humans and robots. He liked to believe too, wherever Tobio's soul was, he was with his mother now and both were watching over them.

From his coat pocket, Tenma pulled out a miniature wood carving, placing it on the tombstone. It was a carving of Robita—not the one who lived with Professor Ochanomizu, but the one Tobio loved so much. Atom quietly marveled at it, surprised as Tenma had never shown it to him before, never knowing it existed. Atom could tell a great deal of effort had been put into that little model, and that thought made the boy robot smile.

They stayed there for sometime in the silence as the level of snowfall gradually began to pick up, falling in thicker snow clusters through the bare branches of the trees, and onto the petals of those flowers. The incenses wouldn't last for long, the smoke rising from those thin sticks already weakening.

A chill in the air picked up, and concerns grew for Atom as he peered up to those grey clouds. The longer they remained out here staying put, the more susceptible Tenma would be to the cold. Even with his coat on, he would still be losing heat in this weather. They would have to leave soon.

"Atom."

On hearing his name, the boy robot turned to his side where Tenma was still bent down by the tombstone, the vapor from the man's every breath expelled out like white smoke. His father looked so worn out and older than he really was.

He had been neglecting to come here for a very long time…

"I'd like a moment alone with them, if you please." Tenma requested, still staring wistful at the tombstone. Atom understood completely, knowing there were things his father needed to get off his chest without him there. A quick scan to check Tenma's core temperature confirmed that although it had dropped, it was still within safe perimeters, and he wasn't shivering.

Leaving him alone wouldn't hurt, and Atom had done what he needed to.

"Ok," the boy robot, began stepping back. "I'll wait for you down the bottom."

Tenma looked grateful.

"Thank you."

With a final look over the tombstone, silently Atom gave Hoshie and Tobio a farewell and went on his way. The snow crunching under foot, Atom just reached the torii gate when Tenma called out to him.

"Atom?"

"Hm?"

Tenma tapped his ear, signaling the boy robot was not to listen in. Atom nodded, and made his descent down the steps. Yet halfway down the wind trail Atom found himself stopping, soon succumbing to the urge to sit down on the steps close to the group of small jizo statues. His shorts would be damp from the snow on them, although that meant little when the cold didn't effect him. In spite of this, he couldn't help feeling so heavy, as if the energy coursing through his body was not as efficient.

Atom didn't realize how much today had taken out of him already.

With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around his knees, and watched the snow fall over that cemetery. In the absence of his mind drifting, Atom chose to hum the melody from one of those lullabies Tobio once loved so…

That is, until he caught movement high in the sky—something dark hovering against the white snowfall a great distance away.

Curious, Atom raised his head, only to wish he hadn't. The sound was barely detectable to humans hearing, but Atom recognized it easily as his sharp eyes honed in on the flying object.

It was police drone.

The boy robot sulked down where he sat, refusing to look at it. He wished had Atlas's spine to shoot it out of the sky, without fear of the repercussions.

* * *

_Metro City was bathed in crimson light from the setting sun, bleeding through the windows of the Ministry of Science as Atom made his way down from the roof to Professor Ochanomizu's office. His boots squeaked as he walked the through the curved corridor of glass, the soles of his feet still hot from his flight over, while the rest of his body was cold from flying at such high altitudes._

_Atom felt electric butterflies in his chest upon stopping outside the office door, hesitating for a few seconds before he entered. His mentor looked exhausted sat at his desk after dealing with such a hard day of work, yet brightened up when he saw the boy robot walk in._

" _Ah, Atom! I was wondering where—" Professor Ochanomizu paused, frowning. "Is something the matter? You look troubled?"_

_Atom got immediately got second thoughts on what he was about to ask._

_But it needed to be said._

_It didn't take long upon the boy robot to coming out with his request, for the tired-eyed professor to go from a mixture of shock, disbelief, then anger as his hands slammed down on the desk._

" _No I forbid it! This is where I draw the line!"_

 _Atom flinched._ _"H-_ _Hakase_ _—"_

" _It's strictly out of the question! It would be insane of me to let you live with Tenma-hakase after what he did to you!"_ _The professor got out from his chair, restlessly beginning to pace the office as all his rationality became clouded by fury._ _"It's my fault. I never should've offered my support through the courts. Was this his plan all along? Crawl his way out of prison so he can follow through with his absurd ambitions!?" He stopped pacing and turned to Atom, furious. "What did he say to you? What's his reasoning for this?"_

 _D_ _istraught, Atom shook his head. "No, Hakase! You got it all wrong. This is what I'M_ _asking!"_

_Professor Ochanomizu lost his momentum, his jaw nearly dropping open in shock._

" _Atom…Tenma-hakase, he didn't put you up to this?"_

" _No!" Atom answered quickly with._ " _He doesn't even know about this."_

_Ochanomizu stared at the boy robot in stunned, his small voice losing much of his energy brought on from his outburst._

" _But why? Why would you…"_

_It was same question Atom couldn't bring himself to answer to his friends at school with earlier that day, for they wouldn't have understood—not yet. Professor Ochanomizu, meanwhile…_

_Taking a breath, Atom stepped forward._

" _Hakase, you taught me compassion and forgiveness are important traits to have. I forgive Tenma-hakase for everything he did, but he doesn't forgive himself." Atom rested a hand to his chest, pressing the fingers into the artificial skin. "When humans hurt inside, it can make them do bad things. If a robot breaks they can be fixed, but if a human…"_

_That's why it didn't matter to Atom how much damage he sustained that day in Plant 7, because he knew there was a good chance he could be repaired, but Tenma couldn't. Human lives were fragile. They were nowhere near as durable as robots. When a human died, there were no second chances._

_Atom looked to his mentor, pleading with his eyes._

" _Sometimes people can't escape the sadness and hurt on their own—they need help. I-If I'm not there, I…I—I worry about Tenma-hakase, and what he might do."_

_There was something of understanding in Professor Ochanomizu's expression as he rubbed his chin, lamenting over what had been shared to him._

"… _I see. If I knew Tenma-hakase's mental health had declined so, I would've intervened sooner. We'll need to call someone—"_

" _No!"_

" _Atom, if what you're saying is true, he needs professional help."_

_The boy robot knew what that meant. Tenma would be taken away and locked up. He would be evaluated, poke and prodded and pumped full of drugs again from doctors who likely wouldn't care much for the man they viewed as a monster. It would leave Tenma no better off than when he was in prison, with Atom powerless yet again._

" _Please Hakase, locking him up again won't do any good," Atom protested. "People only see Tenma-hakase for what he's done. They won't help him, and he won't open up to them—not like he does with me."_

_Tenma had burned through several therapists he was scheduled into visits with, as per agreed on the terms of his release. When asked, Tenma admitted it was a game of patience to him. The man reveled in spinning the questions on the therapists, just to see how long it took until they cracked and rethought their career choices. Tenma always gave enough to not breech the agreement, but never did he share any of his deeper personal business._

_Atom was the only one Tenma really spoke to without the mind games, and even then, it was only what he was willing to share._

_The sun had now set low enough that it was beginning to disappear on the horizon of Metro City. The office was basked in the glow of that twilight, the shadows of both the professor and young robot stretching out across the floor like doppelgangers._

_As Ochanomizu approached with empathy itched on his features, his shadow completely covered Atom as he knelt down and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders._

" _I understand your concerns for Tenma-hakase," the professor tried to comfort him with. "But don't feel you need to shoulder the responsibility to look out for him alone. There are other resources available that can—"_

" _That's not it," Atom interrupted. "I'm not doing this out of a need of him being my creator. I'm doing this because I want to. I—I want to live with Tenma-hakase!"_

_Those words impacted the professor hard, the hurt and worry permeating from him so. As Yoko once said, Professor Ochanomizu was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, his feelings always so open and easy to read._

" _Atom…"_

_The truth was it was more than just wanting to look out for Tenma that brought them to this. Everyday when Atom left to go home, he felt less and less willing to leave his creator alone. The house he once viewed with mixed emotions was gradually losing the negativity surrounding it. New memories were made there, good ones that overwrote the bad of being deceived, and sad ones of Tobio alone._

_Without Atom realizing it, that house became second home to him._

_Tenma's mood always picked up when he was there; always engaged in their games of chess and harboring pride for his growing carpentry skills, whenever he allowed Atom to see his latest work. Even something mundane as helping to clean the house came with its own rewards of teamwork. Atom hated having to watch the spark in his father fizzle out whenever it was time for him to go. Even in himself, Atom began to feel an emptiness festering with every flight home, as if he was leaving a bigger part of himself behind each day._

_Spending those few hours visiting after school just weren't enough anymore._

_As the last of the sun finally dipped under the horizon, the golden rays vanished from the office. The oranges of the skies had darkened, signally that in an hour or less, nightfall would be over the city._

" _Hakase, both of you raised me. You're both my parents," Atom confessed, his hands tightening to fists nervously at his sides as he bowed his head. "But I…even after everything that's happened, Hakase, I can't just forget my life as Robot Tobio like none of it ever happened._ " _With as much strength as he could muster, he looked up at the professor, wide eyes determined._ _"I'm Atom now, but Tenma-hakase is still my otousan, and so are you. I love both of you!"_

_The response Atom got shortly after, startled the boy._

_Professor Ochanomizu hugged him—hugged him so tightly as if the world was about to end._

_It was the same hug the professor gave him after the Plant 7 incident, upon having repaired and reactivated Atom. For Atom that time passed in the blink of an eye, but for Ochanomizu, the man had worked tirelessly for weeks straight. It never left Atom how emotional the professor was, with the man even confessing that he thought he had nearly lost Atom a second time. Atom's kokoro could be repaired by Tenma, but his electronic brain? If he had taken a direct shot to the head from that kuri ring, the damage would've been irreversible._

_Only a few months before that, the professor had to witness Atom being blown apart when that missile in the Antarctica exploded. Only Reno was the one willing to admit how traumatic it had been for everybody having to recover every piece of the boy robot from the snow and amongst the missile debris. They weren't even in the air before the professor began work to piece Atom back to together._

_Professor Ochanomizu had suffered so much over the years to protect him—to repair every bit of damage Atom sustained. He had been Atom's guardian, looking out for him every step of the way from the very beginning; training his adolescence mind to learn from right and wrong, and the importance of robots and humans being friends._

_The unspeakable amount of pain and trouble Tenma had caused them…Atom was asking a lot._

_It was an eternity before Professor Ochanomizu let him go, and Atom's heart nearly broke when he saw his mentor's cheeks were wet with tears._

" _I understand."_

_Atom watched helplessly as the professor walked away from him, hardly even unable to look at him. The man came to stand in front of those large windowpanes in his office, his somber gaze reflected in the glass as he stared out at the bustling city._

_With a sigh, Professor Ochanomizu's tucked both arms behind his back._

" _I need time to think about this, Atom. Please, go now. I'll be home later."_

_Atom tried to protest, but nothing came out. In the end, he listened and left without a word._

_The moment that automatic door to the office slid shut behind him, and he was left alone in that empty corridor, Atom felt his legs give out and he dropped to his knees. He had followed what his heart told him to do, and found the courage to go through with it…only to be left hurting in a way he couldn't explain._

_It was late into the night, when Professor Ochanomizu's returned home at last. Atom was sat by the window in his bedroom waiting up for his return, when he'd finally seen the car roll into the driveway._

" _Hakase."_

_Immediately he jumped up, and hurried downstairs._

_When Atom got there, Robita was already welcoming the professor home in through the door, generously taking his hat and coat from him. Ochanomizu's face looked grim like he had aged ten years in that single evening, the sight causing Atom to stand back._

" _I spoke with Tenma-hakase."_

_The news made the boy robot freeze, unable to speak at the thought Tenma finally knew._

_Although Atom had no need to breathe, he found himself still holding his breath while he quickly examined the tired professor's face for any clue or indication of what his answer might be. Fortunately, Ochanomizu didn't leave him in the dark much longer._

" _You can stay with him."_

_Atom could've burst from the relief. It overwhelmed him._

" _Thank you, Hakase! I—"_

" _However!" Professor Ochanomizu interrupted with the undertones of anger, making Atom flinch. "If anything like before should happen again; if Tenma-hakase returns to his scheming ways or so much as dares to tamper with your memories, I won't protect him a second time." The professor then marched towards him, the stern warning in old man's eyes making the boy robot unable to turn away. "It'll also be your responsibility Atom, to watch him. Promise me you won't turn a blind eye. If you suspect anything, ANYTHING, you're to tell me. Understood?"_

_That was the ultimatum._

_Any excitement Atom had dropped into the very pit of his circuits, as doubts festered in his mind. Even if he believed his father could change for the better and was capable of such, Atom couldn't say with absolute certainty Tenma wouldn't go back to pursuing a future with only robots. All Atom could do was trust Tenma, trust that he would do better with his life._

_It was also in that moment Atom realized he had trust in himself to follow through with turning Tenma in, should he ever fall back into that darkness. Atom just prayed if that ever happened, he would be able to save his father from himself a second time._

_Atom hung his head, and accepted that possibility._

" _I promise, Hakase."_

_It did little to put the professor at ease, but he accepted Atom's response, and backed off._

" _Alright…that's all I—"_

" _NO!"_

_Startled by that familiar voice, Atom turned to the stairs, where the girl dressed in pink pajamas came racing down, nearly tripping on the last couple steps._

" _Uran?"_

_Atom had been so focused on speaking to Professor Ochanomizu that he'd failed to detect his sister eavesdropping in on them. And no sooner did the girl reach Atom, did she grab his arms and begin frantically shaking him._

" _Oniisan you can't go back there! I won't let you!" Uran pleaded, looking absolutely terrified "It's a trap! Tenma-hakase's tricking you so you'll forget us all again! If you go, you won't ever come back!"_

_Atom didn't know how to respond. This wasn't how he wanted his sister to find out._

" _U-Uran..."_

_With sad eyes, Professor Ochanomizu addressed the young girl. "Uran...Atom has made his choice, and we have to respect."_

_This only made Uran more distraught, with her body trembling like a leaf._

_She was on the verge of tears._

" _No, no! You—You can't let Oniisan do this! You can't!"_

_Nothing Uran could say made Professor Ochanomizu budge on his decision. Visibly upset himself, the professor had looked away, becoming unresponsive to Uran's pleas. All the while, Robita looked powerlessly between three, all unable to resolve the issues that were far beyond her help._

" _Oniisan!" Crying, Atom's sister had looked up at him, banging at his chest with her fist. "Please Oniisan! Don't leave us! I don't want to lose you again!"_

_It was Uran that saved Atom, before any lives were lost to Lamp and his mech. If not for her efforts in bringing his friends together and flying the GO-Captain ship—he might not have recovered enough of his memories in time before Tenma's house was attacked. Uran had done everything she could to get Atom away from that house, away from being a prisoner to Tenma. How could Atom make her understand why he was going back?_

_They were brother and sister, but Tenma didn't create Uran, Professor Ochanomizu did. Uran wasn't burdened with the memories of a human that died, or that she'd originally been create to replace someone else. She hadn't experienced anything of what Atom had gone through before he was deactivated in Plant 7. She had never suffered the dilemmas of piecing her lives together, while feeling so mixed up over why her 'creator' had changed._

_The years it took visiting Tenma in prison to gain back some affiliation between them not rooted around forced kinghood, but being a parent to a child. That happiness Atom felt when he was no longer treated as Tobio's replacement, when he could be in a same room as his father and not be afraid..._

_How could Atom make her understand why he was going back? The simple answer was he couldn't._

" _I'm sorry, Uran. I have to do this."_

_The hurt in his sister's eyes was unfathomable, as if Atom had made her world fall apart in an instance…and it was too late to take it back._

_In a fit of anger, Uran shoved Atom back with her super strength, knocking him over._

" _Stupid! You're stupid Oniisan! I HATE YOU!" Uran shouted at Atom from where he was on the floor. With tears flooding her big brown eyes, his sister turned on her heels and bolted up the stairs to her room._

" _Uran!" Atom got up, his hand outstretched to chase on after her, when Professor Ochanomizu grabbed his shoulder._

_With a heavy heart, his mentor gave a single shake of his head, implying it best to leave her be. Atom reluctantly complied, knowing full well there was no talking to Uran when she was upset._

" _Go and get some rest now, Atom. We'll discuss this more in the morning," Professor Ochanomizu said, and with a heavy heart, he turned his back on the boy robot. "You can go and meet Tenma-hakase after school; he'll be expecting you."_

_The professor shuffled off, and retreated to his office. He left Atom all alone standing there, unable to process what he was feeling as everything played on loop inside his electronic brain._

_In that time Robita quietly rolled up beside Atom, and brought him back to reality when she lightly touched her pincer hand to his back._

" _Atom." She spoke his name with such pity, those glass eyes filled with nothing but sympathy and love for the boy robot she had helped raise._ _Instinctively Robita pulled Atom into a tender hug, wrapping her long metal arms around him._

_Without hesitating, Atom did the very same, hugging the service robot as she stroked the back of his head._

" _Everything will be alright, you'll see" She said soothingly, causing the boy to shut his eyes, not wanting to let go._

_If was within Atom's design to cry, he was sure would've shed many tears…_

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to be honest it's been so long since I've seen the English Dub for the 2003 series. What really moved me in the Japanese however was the fact Professor Ochanomizu views Atom as his son, and openly admits this on a few occasions, particularly in the last episode. It really builds something to his character and why he's so protective of Atom, because it's comes from a maternal place. I also love Higeoyaji, he brings such an energy to the room. I can see why he appeared so often in Tezuka's works.
> 
> Anyhow, I'm happy to have gotten this out in time for Christmas. As I said in the previous one, the last chapter will be sometime afterwards. Wishing you well whatever the time of the year you read this.

* * *

_Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34_

* * *

**_A Winter Wish - Chapter 2_ **

* * *

Atom caught the plump-nosed face of the professor peering through the windows when they drove up to that familiar mushroom-shaped house aglow with fairy lights. By the way the Ochanomizu stood there ensuring it was them before disappearing, Atom wasn't surprised if he had been there a while waiting for them to show up.

Those old familiar cyber butterflies festered inside Atom's body, acknowledging this would be the first time they would be here together at the Ochanomizu's home.

"Atom?"

Tenma's voice broke the boy robot from his thoughts. They had silently been sitting in the car for over a minute now with the engine off. The snow was coming down pretty heavy, gathering easily on the windscreen now that the car was immobile and the wipers switched off. Atom imagined if they stayed there long enough, the car would become an igloo.

With a thin-lipped smile that only just reached the eyes, Tenma motioned an arm at Professor Ochanomizu's house.

"Shall we?"

Atom found his energy again, and unplugged his seatbelt.

"Yeah."

The snow crunched under his boots as he hopped out, and a short time after so did his father. From down the street, Atom saw a group of children from the neighborhood laughing and having a snowball fight. He really, _really_ wanted to join them and have a game too. Hopefully if things went well he would have time for that later…

Wearing a novelty Christmas sweater patterned with reindeer and pine trees, Professor Ochanomizu was there to meet them by the open front doors—the cheery man's face harboring a wary gaze that flicked conspicuously between Atom and Tenma.

Atom pretended not to notice as he ran up those steps and leaped into his mentor's arms for a hug.

"Ochanomizu-hakase! Happy Christmas!"

"Atom! It's good to see you!" Ochanomizu said happily, embracing the boy robot in return. With a pat to Atom's back, the man lightly pulled away, checking him over a little too studious. "How's your morning been?"

Atom beamed at him. "Great! I bumped into Higeoyaji-san while delivering the presents to my friends. He says he'll try to make it, but he's chasing a missing case."

"Ah yes, he mentioned it over the phone yesterday. Hopefully Yuko-kun won't be too upset." Professor Ochanomizu straightened up, finally acknowledging his other guest stood a little way's back from them. He gave a firm nod. "Tenma-hakase."

"Ochanomizu," Atom's father responded with a wily smile as he stepped forward, and offered out the strawberry short cake, though be it, now lacking any strawberries. "Merry Christmas."

"Oh, ah….why, t-thank you," Professor Ochanomizu accepted the cake befuddled, appearing not entirely sure where to place it. "My, I didn't know you could bake cakes."

"Nor did I," Tenma replied, and Atom suppressed a giggle.

Professor Ochanomizu dithered briefly, looking past them to the snowy neighborhood. A breeze of cold air hit the man, making him shiver. "Uh, w-why don't you both come inside."

"In due time," Tenma said. He raised his hand, and with a click of the car key, the trunk popped open some ways behind him. "We have a delivery to distribute first."

Of course, the presents!

"I'll go get them!" Excited, Atom turned and jumped down the steps, running out from the shelter of the porch into the heavy snowfall. "Wait there Otou—"

"ONIISAAAAN!"

Atom stopped and spun around. He didn't even have time to react when a speedy pink blur tackled him over onto the snow ground. The boy robot landed on his back, with his sister squealing happily as she squeezed the life out of him.

"U-Uran!"

"Happy Christmas, Oniisan!" Uran said energetically. "Did you miss me!? Did you? Did you?"

"Uran, we saw each other only yesterday!" Atom reminded her, of which they had. He had met up with his sister to help her feed the birds and other animals in Metro City Park as the weather hadn't been too kind to the critters. It was one of Atom's many activities did to spend time with Uran, although it often had to be on her terms. However Atom could adamantly say feeding Metro City's wildlife was much more fun than being forced to make flower chains all day.

The green-feathered bird Pikora flapped his wings, flying in circles around the siblings chirping. Atom sat upright, but Uran wouldn't release her hold on him from around his neck. Her overenthusiastic acts of affections were starting to wane on his patience. "Come on, cut it out."

"Not until they say you missed me!"

"Okay, okay! I missed you!" Atom near pleaded, just wanting his sister off him.

At that Uran finally released him from her super strong hugging clutches, and hopped up. Standing with grace in the pink and white dress she only wore for special occasions, Uran pointed to the little green bird as he landed on her shoulder.

"Now Pikora."

The bird whistled a swift tune, using his wings to straighten up a little bow tie he had on around is neck. When Atom didn't give an immediate response, little Pikora turned his beak up at the boy robot as if he were of higher class.

Atom sighed and got off the ground, dusting the snow off the back of his coat and shorts.

"I missed you too, Pikora."

To Atom's surprise, Uran offered to help carry in the presents with him. What was not so surprising however was her scoping out the piles of gifts in the trunk, and demanding which hers were so she could carry them, and ONLY them.

"You did you get me something didn't you?" Uran asked as she set her eyes on the many new presents, that she begun to poke and prod at. "Are they all for me?"

Atom laughed. "Not all of them— HEY! Don't shake that!"

Uran pouted and went on collecting them up. Her sights focused on one particular green-wrapped present. "Whose is this?"

"Pluto's."

Her eyes lit up and she added it to the pile she was carrying. "It's tiny for such a big robot. What did you even get him?"

"Films," Atom said. "It's these old black and white silent ones. I thought he might like them."

It was hard picking things out for Pluto. Given his size, there wasn't much he could do in terms of hobbies. The green giant had a place he called home up in the mountains a short flying distance away from Metro City, where everything was scaled up for Pluto to live comfortably. When Atom visited, it was almost like being shrunk down to the size of a mouse, although thankfully not as small as when he needed to destroy hat microbot inside Uran's brain.

The green giant had really gained an appreciation for nature, but listening to the radio, audio books or watching films were of great enjoyment to him too. He even had a special projection screen setup in his home—that's what the films were for.

Uran nodded vaguely, just acknowledging Atom. She smiled proudly. "I knitted him a scarf!"

"A scarf!?"

"Mhmm!"

But, Pluto didn't wear clothes…

Atom held his tongue, and added nothing to that.

All the presents collected, the boy robot reached up to close the trunk, but the trunk door was too high for him to reach, and he couldn't jump up, not while holding the gifts to reach it. Uran's arms were full too.

A strong cold breeze happened to pass through the neighborhood as Atom was debating using his rocket feet, and the stack of presents he held began swaying.

"Ah!"

He panicked, fast to balance them out, but one present at the top slid off.

Luckily Tenma was there to catch it.

"Careful."

Atom thanked him, and his father returned a faint smile before closing the trunk for them and locking up the car. When Atom turned to face Uran, he discovered his sister already hurrying back to the house, nearly tripping to get away.

The boy robot tried not to let it bother him as he followed.

"My, that is a lot you have there!" Professor Ochanomizu chuckled, when the two siblings came indoors with the stack of presents. The professor directed them to the living area, "Why don't you go put them over by the tree with all the other gifts, and we'll open them soon."

"Got it!" Atom said and did as he was told. As he was carrying them off with Uran, someone hovered out from the kitchen in a decorative Christmas apron and a bright red party hat.

It was none other than Robita herself.

"Ah! Robita!" Atom called out and quickly set the gifts down to go greet the robot. "Happy Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too dear," She replied politely as she glided on over, happily accepting the hug she was given by the boy robot. Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, Robita went over to Tenma, her large glass eyes smiling as she gave the man a bow, something which was difficult to do with her stiff robotic frame. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Tenma-hakase."

"The pleasure is all mine," the man said slowly.

"Would you like for me to take your coat?" Robita asked, offering out one of her mechanical pincer hands.

"No!" Tenma replied a little sharp. Quick to recover, he stubbornly turned away to undo his coat. "No, that is quite alright…"

Although they differed in color and personality, Robita's model was the same as the Robita who had cared for Tobio once-upon-a-time, and had been at the heart of the divide between father and son. Atom often thought of Tobio's Robita and how she was doing now. Professor Ochanomizu had fixed and reactivated her many years ago, and supposedly she was re-homed to a family with small children outside the city.

When his father had asked about what became of that particular Robita, he seemed at peace learning she was fully functioning and having a good life now, but showed no desire wishing for her return—too many painful memories. But the Robita living with Professor Ochanomizu knew none of this, and looked particularly puzzled as to why Tenma had suddenly become so uncomfortable in her presence.

Fortunately Professor Ochanomizu noticed this, and quickly swooped in to save the day.

"R-Robita, would you take this and serve it up for when Yuko-kun and her fiancé arrive?" Atom's mentor asked, offering the service robot the strawberry short cake Tenma had brought in.

"Oh certainly; I'd be delighted!" Robita replied with kindly and carried the cake off. She soon returned to the kitchen to carry on with cooking, completely oblivious to the moment that'd passed.

Robita wasn't the only clueless one.

"Can we open our presents now?" Uran whined, bouncing about the place before she latched herself onto Professor Ochanomizu, giving him the sad eyes. "Pleaaase, Hakase?"

"In a moment Uran, I—" The professor paused, "Actually, why don't you and Atom go and open your presents now? Me and Tenma-Hakase need to have a word alone."

Atoms ears perked up, and from the corner of his eye he saw his father react to this after hanging his coat up.

"Is that so?" Tenma said with a smirk.

"Yes," Professor Ochanomizu said slightly testy as he eyed the man. A tension faintly brewed between the two men, of which Atom picked up on fast.

His father inevitably submitted, his hands tucked in his pockets as he headed towards Professor Ochanomizu's study without pushing anymore of the man's buttons.

"Very well…"

The professor went to follow, only to paused mid-stride and look back.

"Oh, Atom—"

"I know," the boy robot said sullenly. "I won't listen in, I promise."

Ochanomizu smiled in gratitude.

Hyperactively Uran bounced around in circles in the living room, clueless to the goings-on between the two men. She soon leapt in front of Atom, grabbing his wrist to drag him over to the tree. "Yay! Yay! Come on Oniisan!"

Professor Ochanomizu caught Atom's troubled gaze as the boy robot was led away. The man paused, and gave a reassuring smile to the boy, but Atom saw through his happy guise.

"It's just a word Atom. I promise we won't be long."

With that, the two men left the robot children alone.

Uran stopped in the midst of tugging Atom's arm. When he checked, he saw his little sister blinking up at him confused.

"Oniisan?"

Atom forced a smile, and gently released his wrist from her grasp. He undid his coat and left it on the side of the couch. With one last glance back at the study, he went along with his sister.

Tenma and Professor Ochanomizu were two very different people, from their personalities, their beliefs to core values— particularly those on the coexistence of humans and robots. Times may have changed, but history couldn't be forgotten, or what Atom's father had done.

The two men had made some progress, enough to be civil. They could tolerate being in the same room as each other now, and hold a conversation without it accelerating into an argument anymore. But with it all said and done, Atom wasn't sure Professor Ochanomizu fully trusted Tenma yet. Even now, Atom noticed Professor Ochanomizu would still address him on every meeting or visit by 'Atom' as if still testing he responded to his name, and not Tobio's.

Atom had doubts that distrust would ever go away.

' _If you're certain on going through with this Atom, I want you to have this,' Professor Ochanomizu had said the day before Atom was due to begin staying over at Tenma's. His mentor had handed over the communicating device the boy robot was long familiar with, but noticed something amiss with it. 'It's for emergencies only. I've modified it so you'll be able to respond internally instead of vocally, and nobody else but you will be able to listen in if I contact you.'_

_Atom held the device, the weight of it in his hands feeling heavier than it really was._

' _Hakase...'_

_The professor had laid a hand on the boy robot's shoulder, the concern the man had for him all too real._

' _Keep it on you at all times, and don't ever allow Tenma-hakase to be made aware of it.'_

It had taken much talking to pursue Professor Ochanomizu into letting him stay at Tenma's house permanently. After all these months living there, even if he had seen the professor earlier that day, he would still call to check up on Atom through that secret communicator. He only called Atom once every few days now, which was a vast improvement from the numerous calls he used to get every day. Professor Ochanomizu hadn't stopped by the house unannounced in a quite a while neither.

That communicator was intended as a protection measure against Tenma, but had instead ended up being more of use to Atom on the field. It had saved him a handful of times from Skunk's shenanigans of late. As much as Atom felt guilty having the device installed inside his chest, there was at least some advantages to having it outside of its intended purpose.

"Oniisan, are you listening?"

Atom didn't know how long he'd been spaced out for, staring up at the star on the Christmas tree. He hadn't decorated it this year. The decorations were the same, with the tinsel, ball balls and little ornaments of anglels and glass icicles, but he had no hand in where any of it was placed.

It was the same for the lights on the outside of the house. Professor Ochanomizu hadn't asked for Atom's help this year to put them up, instead, Uran and Robita had assisted...

A finger prodded at his arm. "Oniisan?"

Uran was looking at him worried, just as Pikora landed on her shoulder. The bird tilted his little feathery head at Atom, as if even he had noticed something was not quite right with the boy robot.

"Y—Yeah…" Atom's attention wandered down to the box of fishing hooks and lures Professor Ochanomizu had gotten him, with a handwritten note promising they would take another fishing trip in the spring.

He felt guilty. They hadn't gone fishing together in a long time.

Atom refused the temptation to scan the others presents for what was inside, as not to ruin the surprise. He checked the tags, but didn't find any from Tenma, despite him saying the present he had gotten him would be here. Was it someplace else?

Uran didn't look convinced that Atom was fine, but she didn't pry. Instead she picked up one present from where they were both sat on the floor, and shoved it in front of his face.

"For you!"

"Eh?" Atom accepted the gift, resting it on his lap.

"I made it just for you," Uran added eagerly just as he began tearing the wrapping off.

…

It…it was a plushie of Uran.

Surprised wasn't even the word for it.

Made from mismatch pieces of different fabrics all sown together, the stitching was wonky and the stuffing poked out in a few tiny places. Instead of doll eyes or felt eyes, Uran had used two odd buttons with one noticeably bigger than the other, and the doll's smile had been glued on with felt.

"I worked really hard on it. I wanted to make it so you can always have me with you back at Tenma-hakase's," Uran leaned over to the couch, pulling out a plushie secretly stashed behind one of the pillows there. "See? I made one of you too."

It was the same; the mismatch fabric, the spikes for his head just two crocked cut pieces of felt and some more buttons for eyes—one black and one brown. Atom was used to seeing toys of himself out in the world, but this was something else.

Uran sat there waiting in anticipation for Atom's response, grinning big-eyed and expectant at him. Even if Atom wasn't into stuffed toys, his sister's efforts to make him something this year moved him. At least it wasn't socks.

"Thank you, Uran."

His sister immediately clapped her hands and raised her arms up in the air.

"Alright!" She cheered, making him smile.

Atom never thought he'd say it, but he missed his little sister wreaking as much havoc in his life as she used to when they were living under the same roof. From Uran messing up the kitchen from baking, to their sibling quarrels fighting over the TV remote for their favorite shows, Atom missed it all. There were even those few times during thunderstorms, when his little sister would sneak into his room at night and climb into bed to hog the overs. Always Uran was adamant to Atom she wasn't scared, but that she was there to protect him in case any thunderbolts hit the house.

The last time there was a thunderstorm, his sister somehow managed to contact him through that secret communicator Professor Ochanomizu gave him, and stayed with Atom on the line for an hour until the storm passed and she fell asleep. A fear of thunder, it was the only lie Atom could go along with for his sister's sakes, so it kept her mind busy trying to think up stories and stuff to keep him calm. It was annoying when Atom was so tired himself, but he put up with it….

Maybe he'd ask his father sometime if Uran could sleep over. But somehow Atom wasn't sure if Tenma could tolerate such long spells with his sister, and then that was if Professor Ochanomizu approved.

"Tulips!" Uran held up the packages of bulbs to contain every variety of the flower. "These are my favorite!" She set the bulbs down next to the bag of gardening tools Atom had also gotten her. Pikora flew off his sister's shoulder as she encircled her arms around Atom's neck, smothering him. "Thank you, Oniisan!"

"Y-You're welcome," He got out, eventually coaxing Uran to pull away from him before she squeezed the life out of him. She always did have a strong grip.

Distracting herself, Uran picked up one of the presents, turning it over. "Who is this from?"

Atom recognized the plain brown paper wrapping. It wasn't one of his doing.

"Otousan."

"Tenma-hakase?" Uran asked surprised, flipping over the visible equally plain name tag. "For me?"

Atom nodded.

Uran hesitated before she began timidly ripping open that paper wrapping more suited for delivering mail.

A simple box was uncovered inside.

Carefully his little sister lifted off the lid, recoiling back suddenly as if frightened something might jump out. Leaning her head over, Uran's eyes widened upon seeing what was inside.

"Oh!"

Reaching her eager hands in, his little sister lifted out a small polished wooden box. Atom immediately took note of the intricate carvings of plant life and flowers winding around all sides of the wood. The amount of time taken to craft it was unfathomable, but not surprising.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Uran exclaimed giddily, running her fingers over the itching of her name on the lid of the wooden box, and down to the wing of the bird carved below it. "Tenma-hakase really went and bought this for me!?"

"No," Atom corrected. "Otousan made it."

"Made?" Uran blinked. She didn't appear to know what to say to that.

When she was to finally open the box, both robot siblings were to get a surprise when the weight sensitive latch for the lid triggered, and a gentle melody began to play from within.

It was a music box.

Atom had heard the song before, not from Tobio, but from down in the basement where his father worked on his carpentry. Tenma had his secrets, and many of his creations from that basement were one of them. If Father had gone to great efforts to make that music box in secrecy much like Tobio's wood carving of Robita, then what other secrets did Tenma have?

So long as they were nothing malevolent, then Atom was okay with surprises like these.

Pikora chirped from where he perched himself on the top of Uran's head. The girl robot eyes sparkled as they sat there listening to that music box's melody. She didn't say anything, but Atom could tell his sister was happy with her gift, even with it being from Tenma...

"Oniisan, are you happy?"

The question caught the boy robot by surprise. Uran was still looking at the music box she held on her lap.

"I mean, you are happy…aren't you?"

Atom knew it came from a personal place, and more than what he was experiencing in that moment.

Was he happy?

The answer was crystal clear.

"I am."

To this, Uran finally looked at him, her smile glowing.

"Then I'm happy too."

* * *

_When Atom had first made his choice to live with his father, Atom's relationship with his sister became strained. She didn't want to be in the same room as him, and kept walking off in a huff whenever he was around._ _Talking did nothing. Atom tried, he really did try to get her to understand, but she was having none of it. It always ended in the tantrums from the girl, calling him names and throwing her stuffed toys at him._

' _I hate you Oniisan and that's that!'_

_Professor Ochanomizu said she would come around, but the weeks turned into a full blown month and there was no change; in fact, they were worse off. Uran flat out stopped talking to him and it hurt Atom greatly. He was worried if it continued, her resentment would only grow—none helped by Pluto openly agreeing with Uran, who also didn't trust Tenma in the slightest._

_Atom_ _felt as if he were being forced to choose between maintaining a relationship with her sister or his father, when he could never do such a thing. Eventually Atom realized that if he couldn't explain the reasoning behind his decision in a way Uran could grasp, then he needed to do so in another way he hadn't thought of yet. And soon, enough Atom found it._

_When he came to her that day with the proposal, Uran just scoffed at the idea._

' _Share memories? It's stupid. You're stupid.'_

_It was the first time in a week Uran had said something to him, and the boy robot considered that an improvement. Undeterred, he'd gone and sat down next to Uran on the windowsill seat in her bedroom._

' _Not really.' Atom had said. 'Ochanomizu-hakase said our brains are the same. That's why I could connect to your consciousness when—'_

' _Stuuupid!' Uran loudly said, and crossed her legs on the seat, refusing to look at him._

 _Atom sighed, worn down by the full month of arguing at that point. How was it that Blue Knight had been far much easier to negotiate with than his own sister? The amount of times the boy robot had heard her call him stupid, it could have been made his first, middle and last name._ _Atom didn't know what else to do. This was the only viable option he had._

' _Uran…you said you don't get it. If I can't explain it through talking, then maybe my experience can.'_

_Atom_ _caught his sister scowl at him from the corner of her eye. He felt utterly defeated as she stubbornly darted her attention elsewhere, pouting. 'Hmph!'_

' _Please, Uran.' He begged, yet the energy was all but fought out of him. "If this isn't enough then…I won't bother you about it anymore."_

_It was the possibility he was frightened to accept, that he would simply have to live with his sister shunning him for the rest of their lives. Never had that reality struck Atom so hard than in that moment when alone with Uran in her room._

_He missed his sister, and never wanted to have to say goodbye. Thankfully the finality of his words had an effect on Uran._

_Without looking at him, she extended out her arm to Atom. 'Fine—if you're going to keep on about it, Oniisan.'_

_Atom lit up elated, finally relieved to be making progress._

_Professor Ochanomizu and Miss Yuko had gained access to his memories before for use on missions with the Ministry of Science and his overall mental development, but nothing to this extremity._ _As humans they could analyze and watch from a computer, but they couldn't BE in the moment, experience every sensation, every thought and emotion._ _Memories were much more than just recollections for a robot—they were doorways to the past._

" _Will it hurt?"_

_Atom had shaken his head as he opened the panel on his chest, attaching the cable to his mechanical heart. "No. The pain receptors will be disabled; I made sure."_

" _And it'll really be like I'm there? Like I'm you, Oniisan?" Uran asked curiously, watching while the panel to her forearm was opened up._

_Atom took the cable and carefully hooked it up to the connector inside Uran's arm._

" _Yeah, and I'll be right here with you. You won't be alone." Atom assured and had given her a supportive smile. "Okay?"_

_His sister stared at him thoughtfully, as if debating to go along with it._

_Eventually she'd given a tiny nod._

" _Hm…"_

_As soon as the program was executed, Uran fell into a trance like state; her body went rigidly straight from where she sat, as the soft brown irises of her dilating eyes lit up blue._

_In an instance_ _, their minds had fused._

_**01001001 01101101 01101111 01110101 01110100 01101111** _

_Atom already pre-planned what he'd intended to connect Uran to, as not to blast her with three lifetimes worth of memories that would've overloaded her brain._ _He'd given her what she needed from the web of interconnecting memories, through Tobio, Robot Tobio, and himself…_

_**01010100 01101111 01100010 01101001 01101111** _

_There were the glimpses of Tobio's lonely life with Robita; his work orientated father that the boy cherished any time with, yet missed terribly. Then, he had given her the circumstances surrounding Tobio ninth birthday._

_**01010010 01101111 01100010 01101111 01110100 00100000 01010100 01101111 01100010 01101001 01101111** _

_Atom had quickly followed with his first memories as Robot Tobio being born, revealing the short happy existence he had lived with Tenma in that house as the apple of his father's eye, with the memories of being taught how to walk and talk, and being read to every night._

_**01000001 01110100 01101111 01101101** _

_Then there was his rebirth as Atom, and the brief flashes being raised by Professor Ochanomizu before Uran was even born; how the three and Robita became a new family of their own that he still cherished. But with it came the dilemmas and internal struggles Atom dealt on a daily basis over his original creator, his origins and identity; being forced to fight Atlas and Pluto, and being preached to about becoming a king of robots._

_**01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110** _

_Atom had left nothing out from Plant 7; the feud between father and son that caused the boy to run away and die shortly afterwards in an accident, and how the same feud caused Atom to be deactivated as robot Tobio when Tenma feared he had become a threat. He also didn't shy away from showing her how Tenma had attempted to end his own life when Atom rejected returning to his side to be king, along with the sacrifices the boy robot made to save the man's life, and why…_

_**01000110 01101111 01110010 01100111 01101001 01110110 01100101 01101110 01100101 01110011 01110011** _

_Then what followed were the prison and home visits, those years of healing and longing for a second chance. Every private discussion between Atom and his creator that nobody else knew about, every secret, every thought and all the feelings within every one of those moments were exposed._

_**01001111 01110100 01101111 01110101 01110011 01100001 01101110 01110011** _

_And while within those memories, Uran experienced the admittance from Atom himself, that even after everything Tenma had done, Atom still loved him as much as he loved Professor Ochanomizu as a parent—maybe even more. How, in the months since their relationship as father and son had been rekindled fully, Atom felt as if he had found that long lost piece of himself that had been missing for so long. Yet at the same time, there was thee acknowledged of loss from Atom on not having his sister in his life as much as he used to, and missing being as big a part of Uran's, Professor Ochanomizu's and Robita's lives when they were their own little family._

_**01000110 01100001 01101101 01101001 01101100 01111001** _

_For what was only a few minutes in reality, time processed much slower for Uran as she had relived those moments in Atom's life. And once it was over, their minds had defused._

_Uran's body had slumped over, her head falling forward from where she'd sat in that window next to Atom. The seconds had passed, and her arms stay lifeless at her sides as she remained unresponsive, not saying a word._

_It was then…her shoulders had begun to twitch._

" _Uran?" Alarmed and fearing the worst, Atom had reached for her. "U-Uran are you—"_

_As he had helped support Uran upright, his sister had slowly raised her head, and looked him directly in the eyes. What Atom saw, made him clam up completely._

_She was crying._

" _Oniisan…"_

 _Her lips had begun to quiver as the tears fell uncontrollably down her face, staining her cheeks._ _Not caring if the cable was still connected or that her brother's chest panel was wide open, Uran sat up on her knees on the windowsill seat, and threw her free arm around Atom. Her body shook from the sniffles and sobs as she buried her head into his neck._

' _I'm sorry,' she'd wept, hugging him tightly as she started to bawl her eyes out. 'I'm sorry! I'm—I'm sorry!'_

_Atom lost track of time on how long they sat there holding there each other, while his sister cried everything out he never could. But from then on,_ _Uran stopped distancing herself from him._

_He got his sister back._

* * *

Then right on schedule as the clock struck eleven, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming!" Atom called, and jogged over with a squeak of his boots to answer. The very second the door was opened, the pink robotic flamingo Momo came trotting in, carrying a small bag on her back. Slow to follow, hobbled in the young woman wrapped a thick duffle coat with her rosy cheeks aglow beneath her large woolly scarf and hat. Her eyes looked tired, but appeared happy to see the boy robot.

"Yuko-san! Momo!" Atom called, giving plenty of room for the secretary to step in from the cold.

Uran who'd been distracted playing a game with her new toys, leapt to her feet at the sight of the Yuko and Momo. "HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" she yelled at the top of her voice, causing poor Pikora to fall off the tree bewildered.

"M-Merry Christmas Uran!" Yuko laughed light-heartedly. She then turned to Atom, bending over to give him a hug the best she could in her current condition. "And you, how's my little man holding up?"

Atom knew that if Yuko rephrased her words, he was sure it would've meant 'Has your father been up to no good and are you still yourself?' but he was long since used to these questions by now.

"Systems are functioning at 100% capacity!" Atom assured as he returned the embrace, being careful not to hug the woman too tightly. "How are you Yuko-san?"

"Me? Just tired and frustrated. I don't like being on maternity leave," The secretary said as she pulled away, giving the boy robot a smile as she pet her belly. "Baby's been kicking up a storm too. I haven't been able to sleep much. And my back is killing me."

For much of the year to follow Blue Knight and the revolution, Miss Yuko hadn't been at the Ministry of Science. Instead, her efforts were focused in the Antarctica trying to get her late father's Cronos Project back off the ground with her childhood robot friend Gulliver. During one of her trips back, Yuko was experiencing lower abdominal pain on her right side, reaching the levels of being excruciating. Unbeknownst to Yuko, it was appendicitis.

If not for quick thinking of the doctor seated next to her on the flight recognizing the symptoms, and performing emergency surgery right there and then on the plane, Yuko's appendix may have burst. And it was that chance encounter with said doctor, that Yuko met her now husband-to-be.

' _He was going to serve me some exaggerated bill for the surgery. I only let him off the hook a little when I learnt he donates it to hospitals and nature conservations. If he pocketed it all for himself, he'd have some hell to pay,' Yuko explained to Atom and Professor Ochanomizu over break once. A smug smile had soon bloomed on her face as she sipped her coffee. 'Also, he maaay have cut me a deal after I investigated into his practices, and threatened to report him for not having a surgeon license.'_

How they became an item Atom would never understand, but Yuko and that vigilante surgeon ended up together.

The pregnancy years later wasn't planned neither—in fact Yuko had no idea she was even pregnant!

Several months before in Professor Ochanomizu's office late one evening, Atom had offered to stay and help Miss Yuko on the paperwork which the professor was far behind on. Yuko was the best timekeeper in the whole of the Ministry of Science, possibly in all of Metro City, yet those last few days the strain had really begun to show on the assistant. She was experiencing a few dizzy spells and feeling less like her typical energized-self.

Yuko brushed off as a cold and blew off all offers from Professor Ochanomizu to take the rest of the day off. If it weren't for needing to attend an interview with the press, the professor would've been there sorting papers with them when Atom discovered exactly what was amiss.

' _Atom? Are you— what's the matter?' Miss Yuko asked, having noticed he had stopped organizing those documents into their correctly labeled folders. She waved a hand in front of his face. 'Atom?'_

_Slowly he had set the files down, and turned to her confused by what his ears was picking up. He enhanced his hearing, but the noise only puzzled him further from where it was coming from._

' _I…'_

_Frowning concerned at what he was hearing, Atom stepped forwards Yuko and grabbed a hold of her waist, pulling her close as he pressed an ear to her stomach. It was faint, but he could hear it clear as day drumming alongside Miss Yuko's heart._

" _A-Atom!? What on earth do you think you are doing!?" An extremely embarrassed Yuko had demanded, tugging at the hands of the 100,000 horsepower robot locked on her midsection. "Release me this instance young man! You can't just—!"_

" _A heart…I can hear another heartbeat!" Atom blurted out, and pulled away at her request. Upon doing a scan of Miss Yuko's body, it confirmed what Atom had already figured out. He pointed at the assistant's stomach. "Yuko-san, there's a baby growing in your belly!"_

Atom had watched as the color drained from the shocked secretary's face, uttering out barely a few words before she swayed to the side, and fainted. If Atom hadn't caught her, Yuko's head would've hit the side of the desk on her way down.

Yuko gave him one doozy of a lecture when she came to while being fanned by the boy robot with some of the office paperwork. She was a hysterical for a while, still coming to terms she was going to be a mother, while angry Atom had dropped the news on her as if she was carrying a bomb in her uterus. It all worked out, but that was how Atom learned that should he ever be put in the same position again with an unexpected mother-to-be, he had to break the news more _gently_.

"Is Ojisan here?" Yuko asked while struggling off her coat, revealing her bright blue sweater with the noticeable baby bump. Her eyes scanned about the room, clutching the engagement ring tied around her neck. "I didn't see his car outside."

Yuko's uncle.

Astro shook his head and helped the young woman out of from the coat's sleeves, and hanging it up for her. "Nmhmm. I met Higeoyaji-san earlier. He's on the search for a missing dog."

Yuko sighed, looking disappointed. "I thought as much. Ojisan's never sticks to his word."

Atom peered over at the front doors Momo was nudging shut with her beak. "Hey, where is…"

"My hubby? He left on urgent business. There was an emergency call from the clinic." Yuko explained. She gave a weary sigh and stretched her back, hands resting on her hips. "And here I am ready to pop."

Atom smiled sympathetically as he helped Momo close the front doors. "I guess even surgeons can't catch a break for the holidays."

"You said it. But I'm used to it by now," Yuko looked to the boy robot and smiled back. "Would you be a gentleman and show me to where the bathroom is? I forgot where it is, and my bladder isn't made of steel."

"Sure."

After escorting the young woman to the bathroom on the second floor, Atom left Yuko alone to do her business and was soon busy having to chase down Uran who had decided to pony ride poor Momo all around the house. Shortly after getting his sister under control and away from the flamingo robot, Professor Ochanomizu and Tenma finally exited from the study.

Atom could tell by the mild stress faces the two men had talked about a lot, and none of it casual chitchat. Part of the boy robot wished he'd listen in, but the other half didn't. Neither his father or Professor Ochanomizu looked agitated or angry, so that was good at least…

"Hakase!" Uran chirped and rushed over with a bubbly spring to her step. She tugged on the professor's arm. "Come on, you gotta open what I got you!"

The girl's eagerness brought out a chuckle from Professor Ochanomizu as he was pulled towards the Christmas tree. "Uran, calm down you'll make me trip!"

While the two were preoccupied, Atom gingerly approached his father who was standing idly away by the banister to the basement. Tenma's hands were tucked in his pockets, and he seemed withdrawn into his thoughts.

"Otousan?"

One look and Tenma read Atom like a book, and knew exactly what he was going to ask. He quickly brushed the concerns off, looking away.

"Everything is alright."

Atom was somewhat relieved, but didn't push further. He really did just have to trust his father on this, just as much as the boy robot chose to respect Tenma's right to his privacy.

Hearing a creak on floorboards, Atom turned to see Yuko coming down the stairs, having returned from the bathroom. Upon her eyes making contact with Tenma, the pregnant woman halted briefly on those steps, before continuing the rest of the way down—though be it slower than before.

Professor Ochanomizu looked over, after having thanked Uran for the funny croquette sandwiches slippers the girl robot had gotten for him.

"Ah, Yuko-kun! I didn't hear you come in. Merry Christmas!" Atom's mentor welcomed, and scanned all visible areas of the house. "Is um…"

Yuko quickly intercepted. "He's out on an emergency call. He'll be here later, if he can."

Atom was certain he saw the woman flinch when his father turned and looked directly at her.

"Yuzuru's daughter? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of formally being introduced," Tenma said smoothly, as if it were business talk. "Congratulations on getting the Cronos Project up and running again; no doubt Yuzuru-san would be proud."

Something about that immediately set off alarm bells ringing in Atom's head.

Tenma—should not—have said that.

Her hand resting on her swollen belly, Yuko sharply inhaled through her nostrils and marched forwards. Atom watched as his father's confidence was metaphorically tossed out the window as the woman shoved an accusing finger in the man's face, threatening to break his nose.

"Do you have ANY idea the amount of paperwork you left us burdened with at the Ministry of Science? It was backlogged nearly fourteen months when you resigned!" Yuko snapped. "Ochanomizu-hakase needed to hire me as an assistant just to get back on schedule. And your shenanigans three years ago only added to the mountains of paperwork! Dare I talk about your filing organization? It was horrendous! And that's saying a lot coming from working with Ochanomizu-hakase's!"

"I-Is that so?" Tenma said, taken aback by Yuko's fiery temper as he grabbed the banister to stop himself tumbling backwards down the basement stairs.

The boy robot looked over at Professor Ochanomizu for help, but the man just looked red from embarrassment at being called out over his poor office keeping skills.

"The least you could do is apologize!" Yuko argued, her anger rising as she poked even harder at Tenma's nose. "I swear, the amount of sleepless nights I had trying to recategorize everything! The—The cups of coffee! And you just can stand here and talk about my late otousan like everything's rosy!? I was chugging lattes!"

Atom thought the floor was going to open up and swallow his father whole. Never, NEVER had Atom seen someone bold enough to speak down to Tenma and it not be Detective Tawashi. His father legitimately looked nervous in the pregnant woman's presence, if afraid for his life.

The power Miss Yuko had over him was astonishing.

"Yuko-san…" the boy robot called, wanting to break things up when as if on cue, Robita emerged from the kitchen bearing gifts of sliced non-strawberry short cake on a plate.

The service robot glided up to the young woman in greetings, cheerful as always.

"Yuko-san! Merry Christmas to yooou!"

"R-Robita?" startled the woman stared at the cake, and then back at Robita who had a party horn sticking out of her mouth.

At that moment the service robot chose to playfully blow said party horn. Combined with the party hat and Robita wiggling her focal eyes, the comical act confused pregnant woman enough to unexpectedly burst out laughter.

"What are you—Robita!" Sheepish Yuko took a slice of the cake with a napkin "T-Thank you, I guess?"

Tenma relaxed his shoulders where he stood, appearing grateful to have escaped the clutches of the woman's wrath—for now. Even Professor Ochanomizu breathed a sigh of relief. At least Yuko hadn't given Atom's father grief on being a parent. He could do without hearing that today.

' _It's not a good idea to me, but it's your decision, Atom. Just be careful, please? I don't want to see you get hurt again.'_

Atom caught Yuko's eye and she quickly averted her gaze. Holding that cake slice close to her mouth with her cheeks red with shame, the woman seemed to quietly be thinking something over, before not too long after directing her attention over to the robotic flamingo.

"Momo!"

The large bird sprung up from her spot by the Christmas tree with an electronic squeak, trotting over with the bag she was holding earlier, now clasped in her beak.

Yuko reached in and pulled out an item.

"Here. This should keep you organized."

She refused to look Tenma in the eye as she held the book out at full arm's length. It wasn't an electronic book, but a traditional one with a binder. There was even a pen tucked into the side.

Atom's father silently took it, and not waiting around for any sort of thanks, Yuko hobbled off with Momo in tow as they went to Professor Ochanomizu. A folder retrieved from the bag, Yuko handed it to him.

"Hm? What is this?" The professor asked confused.

"The paperwork you had due in three weeks ago for the school education program to the Galileo II spaceship," Yuko said curtly and plopped herself down on the couch to get comfortable, taking a big bite out of the strawberry shortcake. Yuko spoke, her words muffled. "Fill them in and sign, and you'll get your present."

Professor Ochanomizu shuttered in shock, but ultimately accepted his fate as Momo offered him a pen poised in her beak. Even when on maternity Leave, Atom's mentor couldn't escape Yuko's authority.

Robita hovered on the spot after leaving the plate of cake slices on the coffee table, looking between the faces of everyone. "So, who would like some malt wine?"

Professor Ochanomizu and Tenma both instantly raised their hands.

"And Yuko-kun, is there anything I can get for you?"

The young woman sunk into the couch, looking extremely comfy as she shut her eyes, the energy drained out of her. She sighed.

"A bath please."

Yuko settled for a cup of warm milk instead.

* * *

Professor Ochanomizu was the one who came to Atom about inviting him and Tenma over for Christmas this year. Before that, Atom accepted he was going to be spending Christmas Day with just his father as he couldn't imagine the professor being open to the idea. For the Ochanomizu to put aside his feelings and to do this, it was a big deal, and Atom was so grateful to him for that.

Tenma however wasn't so thrilled by the news, having even suggested Atom go by himself instead, but the boy robot refused. As much Atom wanted to see everyone, he couldn't leave Tenma by himself on Christmas. Leaving him alone in prison on the special day each year had been hard enough. His father eventually let up, but only admitting to doing so for Atom's sake, with the added excuse Tenma didn't want Professor Ochanomizu on his case.

Atom knew this wouldn't be easy, and unfortunately, the atmosphere was as bad as Tenma predicted. With the exception of Robita, the only time all of them had been in a room together like this was briefly back at Tenma's house three and a half years ago after Atom recovered his memory. To say things were _awkward_ was the understatement of the century.

Everybody tried to play things off normally, with Professor Ochanomizu even turning on the festive music, but it did little to liven the mood. Miss Yuko was still visibly uncomfortable at Tenma's presence, while Professor Ochanomizu [[having swapped his previous slippers for croquette sandwiches ones Uran got him] made awkward small talk with Atom on the two handmade plushies of the siblings. Tenma meanwhile, had opted to stand at the window by the Christmas tree, sipping that mug of malt wine while he watched the snow. He hadn't said much of a word since to Miss Yuko's outburst.

Atom was worried if this went on, his father might cut the visit short and leave of his own accord. If that happened, Atom would have to go with him, even if he protested.

"Excuse me, Tenma-hakase?"

Atom turned his attention away from Professor Ochanomizu flipping through the paperwork, noticing his little sister had approached Tenma by the window.

"I—I wanted to thank you for the music box," Uran said shyly. With a small bit of hesitation, Atom watched his sister shakily hold up the small Christmas present to the man, as if offering it out to a lion. "Here, I got this for you!"

Between surprise and amusement Tenma set his mug down on the windowsill and accepted the gift.

"Open it," Uran urged.

For a moment Atom thought his father might not upon being reminded of the unopened gift that was waiting back home, but Tenma surprised him. Probably under the pressure to do so under the watchful eye of everybody else, he tore open the colorful paper.

Tenma was quiet as he studied the gift, turning it over in his hands.

It was a rubber ducky.

Atom's father looked absolutely confounded by the thing.

"It's not a real one, obviously!" Uran explained shyly, poking her index fingers together. "I was going to get you a smoking pipe that blows bubble, but I couldn't find one, and I don't know how to make a pipe. So I got you him instead!"

There was strange silence that followed after her timid ramble, with all attention set upon Tenma, and that little rubber ducky…

And then like that quite unexpectedly, Tenma laughed.

It was one of those soft laughs that came from a human's belly. And for the first time since being at Professor Ochanomizu's house, Tenma gave a genuine smile. Next to Atom, his mentor gave let out a chuckle, while on the opposite couch Yuko snorted, quickly covering her mouth. Atom himself did his best not to do the same, but couldn't help cracking a smile.

"Huh?" Uran uttered, looking around at everybody very confused.

Tenma cleared his throat, taking a while to formulate an answer. "Well, I can—I can safely confirm nobody has ever gifted me a duck before." He said uncouthly, being very _careful_ in his words. "I suppose, I should…offer you thanks."

That's all it took to let Atom's little sister know she'd done good, and she was ecstatic.

It was the ice breaker that caused a ripple effect, as the rest of the presents were one by one unwrapped and the atmosphere in the room began to change into something more positive. Miss Yuko was thankful for the teddy bear she'd received from Uran, made from patches of pinks and blues since the baby's gender was being kept a surprise—not even Atom was allowed to spoil it with his scanning abilities.

Uran was happy with the new pajamas she'd gotten from Robita, and Robita was pleased with the flowery hat the girl had given her. And after finally finishing his papers, Professor Ochanomizu was rewarded with a electronic diary from Yuko, which she was all too happy to inform him gave out audio message reminders if he was a second late with his schedule. The man looked mortified.

Either Tenma or Professor Ochanomizu mentioned so much as a peep about the gift supposedly at the house for Atom. The boy robot reasoned through the stress of being under the same roof together on Christmas, made both men simply forgot, so he didn't bring it up. He was very thankful for all he'd been gifted already, and was happy just being with everyone.

Uran easily to have gotten bored in spite of all her new toys, went off to help Robita in the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. Miss Yuko was soon off to the bathroom again in a hurry after the baby had kicked her bladder, leaving Momo behind who seemed happy to watch little Pikora drink from the bowl left out for him.

During this time, Atom noticed the Hyoutan-tsugi his friend Tamao had made him, was sitting under the tree.

He didn't bring him in, so how did he…

Atom hopped off from the couch and bend down to reach for the funny piggy creature, when among all the remains of wrapping paper below that tree, he saw there was one present that remained unclaimed. It was one by Tenma left unmarked, obvious by the simple brown paper wrapping. Atom knew who it belonged to and of what was inside.

Professor Ochanomizu's gift.

As Atom gave a quick glance to Tenma still stood by the window, his father gave him a look in return, with a minute shake of his head to his son, as if to say _**'leave it be.'**_

Perhaps Tenma's intentions were let the present be left there until he and Atom left, so that way, it would be discovered later by his mentor.

But Atom decided to throw a spanner in the works.

Before his father could protest, the boy robot scooped up the present, and went over to Professor Ochanomizu who was in the midst of flipping through the book on The Legends of Sliverland that Atom had gotten him.

"A-Atom!" He heard Tenma sternly say in a loud whisper behind him, but it was too late.

"Here you go, Hakase!" Atom said, making sure to be sound extra bubbly as he handed over the gift to his mentor. "Happy Christmas!"

Professor Ochanomizu totally oblivious let out a laugh, gratefully taking the item from him as he set the book aside on the couch.

"Something else for me? Atom you shouldn't have."

Tenma was reduced to a quivering bug-eyed mess in the corner.

Atom just grinned innocently.

Pyrography, or for the easier term to understand: freeform wood burning. It'd taken Tenma a couple goes to get the hang of it, after having sustained a few burns on his fingers from using the heating tool. It were those burns which led to Atom discovering what Tenma was up to, as upon questioning him, the man allowed his son down in the workshop to see the project in its infancy.

It was a thin slice from a log, showing the rings from the wood's age. With a mixture of carving indents and burning, Tenma had created an elaborate design of a tree, using Japanese numbering in the old Kanji style to form a clock.

Professor Ochanomizu was at a loss for words.

"Oh my….Atom, it's wonderful. How did you even afford this?"

Atom folded his arms behind his back, smiling.

"Not me. Otousan made it down in his workshop."

"T-Tenma-hakase?"

Red as a tomato, the man in question refused to even look at the two, utterly embarrassed as he skulked in the corner.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you." Professor Ochanomizu, looking down at that beautifully made clock again. "I'm—impressed. You've been picking up carpentry skills quite well."

Tenma said nothing to it or the compliment, as if he had no way to channel an answer for such praise. Atom's intuition warned him he might've pushed too far by setting his father up like this. All the same, he was happy he did it. The two men had their differences, but Atom considered it an important step that his father had gone to the effort of making that handmade gift, just as important as his mentor had been for inviting Tenma over.

Some moments after while Professor Ochanomizu was trying to figure out where he might place the clock, the boy robot heard a car pulled up outside the house.

"Somebody's here."

"Indeed. It appears we have another guest." Tenma declared from the window, almost leaping at the change of subject.

Professor Ochanomizu went to check, and recognition lit up his face as he went walking to the door with a spring in his step. "Ah! Higeoyaji! He finally made it."

Within seconds of door opening, the private detective's presence was announced.

"Behind the couch!" Mr. Higeoyaji exclaimed as he stormed into the house, shaking a fist and clutching an unopened bottle of wine. "My client has me trekking across the city on Christmas freezing my moustache off for their deaf mutt, and it was sleeping behind their couch the entire time!"

"I haven't seen you in two months and that's the first thing you have to say?" Yuko called out from the stairs, trudging on down to meet her uncle. "How about saying sorry for being late? Tenma-hakase is more courteous than you."

Atom couldn't tell if that was a complement or an insult. Tenma didn't react, while the private investigator was left tongue-tied.

Professor Ochanomizu grinned broadly, giving his moustache friend a welcoming pat on the back. "Well we're happy you made it, and just in time for the meal. It shouldn't be too long now."

"Food? Hah! I like the sound of that!" Mr. Higeoyaji chortled, and pushed the bottle of wine into his friend's arms. He gave him an overly strong pat in return on the shoulder. "It's good to see you again! It's been too long Hakase."

Yuko coughed loudly.

"Y-You as well, Yuu-san."

"Good." Yuko said curtly. Her seriousness soon broke as the corner of her mouth turned up in a grin, and she went and gave her uncle a long hug. "I missed you, Ojisan. You better not have been getting into too much trouble."

"Me? Into trouble? Nooo." Mr. Higeoyaji laughed as he pulled away. "But look at you; it can't be long now can it?"

"Not long, a few weeks." Yuko reminded, rubbing her pregnant tummy as she narrowed her eyes at her uncle. "You better be there."

Mr. Higeoyaji nervously raised his hands. "I-I will, I wouldn't miss my great-mei's birth for the world."

"Good cause if I call you on that cell phone and the battery's dead again, I'm sending Atom after you," Yuko threatened.

Her uncle quickly pulled out the cell phone in question, the one Yuko had previously bought him. "No no, see? Full bar!" The man showed with nervous laughter, and was fortunately let off the hook.

Yuko was extreme sometimes with her uncle, but Atom couldn't blame her too much. Mr. Higeoyaji was the only living relative she had left after both her parents had passed on. Now with her baby on the way, Atom could understand how important it was to the woman that her uncle be a part of hers and her baby's life. Still, the boy robot wouldn't mind teaming up with the private detective more often without it being behind the Yuko's back. Uran expressed the same.

Atom felt his electronic heart drop out of his chest cavity as Mr. Higeoyaji finally set his sights on Tenma by the window, and the private detective only saw red.

Apparently the incident with the car wasn't forgotten.

"Tenma-hakase," Higeoyaji's nostrils flared, looking the man over as if sizing up his nemesis. "Still being a law abiding citizen I hope?"

Cool as a cucumber Tenma responded. "Depends—are you still camping in my yard old man?"

The police weren't the only ones keeping tabs on Tenma. Mr. Higeoyaji was hired as a private investigator by an 'unknown client' to spy on Atom's creator. But the man's plans were foiled when he was caught hiding in the bushes with binoculars watching Tenma's property. His father having noticed the man from indoors, brewed some tea and requested Atom take the cup out to Mr. Higeoyaji— saucer and all. Suffice to say, the man wasn't happy from being made a fool of.

The private investigator would try a few more times after that, before he finally listened to Atom and left them alone.

Higeoyaji pointed a finger accusingly at Tenma. "Wise talk all you want, but I know your game. I might be an old dog, but you can't fool me!"

Atom's father lightly shrugged his shoulders, unperturbed. "Such a shame; here I was hoping to engage in a round of charades."

This only ruffled Higeoyaji's feathers, as he gritted his teeth and went to storm up to the man. "Why you snot-nosed—if I were two decades younger!"

Atom jumped in front of Tenma with his arms out, ready to stop the hot-headed private investigator doing anything he'd regret. The boy robot didn't get a chance to speak, when Robita came speeding into the room, moving faster than Atom had ever seen her move in her life.

The words just gushed out of the service robot mouth as she hastily greeted Mr. Higeoyaji.

"Dinner is ready! Oh hello Higeoyaji-san! Let me take your coat! Would you like some hot saké? Or perhaps some malt wiiiine!?"

No sooner was the man's coat yanked off and thrown on the coat rack, had Robita then physically picked Mr. Higeoyaji up over her head, and carried him off just as fast to the kitchen.

"Hey put me down! What are you—crazy robot!" Despite his resistance, Higeoyaji was carted away against his will.

Yuko sighed heavily, and eventually followed suite. "Not again…"

"Well that was..." Professor Ochanomizu didn't have anything to follow that up with. He turned to Tenma. "I'm sorry about that; Higeoyaji-san is known for being brash."

Atom's father shrugged it off. "I'm well accustomed to it by now."

Professor Ochanomizu look over to the dining area, where the man noticed Uran was carrying out the plates. "Ah well. Why don't we—"

"Yes, let's," Tenma finished with, as the professor went off to the assist the girl robot in setting the table. Little Pikora went flying over shortly afterwards, with Momo trotting in tow.

Another crisis averted.

Lightly Tenma rested a hand on Atom's shoulder, as he his father walked around from where the boy robot had stood to defend him.

"Come along."

His father was calm. Whatever stressed him out earlier wasn't so prevalent now.

Atom nodded with a smile and followed.

* * *

Now more than ever did Atom wish for a stomach.

It was a feast fit for an emperor—and the boy robot had met one of those and could easily confirm as such. The dinner table was full of dishes from fresh sushi rolls, steaming cream stew, meatloaf, potato wreath salad, to dinner roll sandwiches. All of it had been cooked and prepared to perfection, with even decorated stars and the fruit bowl shaped into a Christmas tree.

Atom could only imagine what it tasted like.

"Robita, you've outdone yourself." Professor Ochanomizu complemented as he took his seat, making the service robot bow her head shyly and give thanks.

Yuko sat opposite of him, next the space left empty at the end of the table for her fiancé—just in case the surgeon showed up during the meal. "It looks really good, I'm starving."

Going over, Atom pulled up a chair in the middle next to Professor Ochanomizu, and across from where Uran had sat, with Pikora already planted by his small bowl of birdseed between the two siblings on the table, happily munching away.

Atom looked back at Tenma, to see him still stood a little ways back from the dinner table, as if he were assessing the situation. The boy robot was about to call his father over, when who else should heavily sit themselves down on the seat beside Atom, but none other than Mr. Higeoyaji himself, holding a cup of what appeared to be hot saké.

"Ah, is that meatloaf?" the man's eyes were wide and his mouth watering, already helping himself to dinner.

Bewildered, Atom peered back over his shoulder at Tenma, to see his father had look of contempt for the private investigator. Swallowing his pride, Tenma ambled over and stiffly took his seat next to Uran, the chair creaking painfully loud.

Mr. Higeoyaji huffed across from Atom's father, and downed his drink.

A dish of wagashi and other delectable's specifically for Uran were already in front of the girl, but on realizing Tenma was seated beside her, she shyly offered out the plate.

"Would you like some Tenma-hakase?"

He held up his hand, a single shake of the head for a no.

Uran shrugged and picked one of the treats up. "I like the sugar candy ones the most," she said and plopped it into her mouth, chewing. "They taste really good!"

And from there, Atom's sister created a glowing energy bubble from her mouth, soon causing it to burst into a sparkle of light. Tenma seemed intrigued by her ability to dispel food into energy—but of course he would be. His father had never been around to see Uran do it.

Professor Ochanomizu took notice of this, and proceeded to explain to his fellow computer scientist how he had developed it from Atom's ability to dispel energy through light. The conversation soon turned to subjects involving renewable energy sources, barely skimming robotics. Tenma visibly wasn't comfortable divulging on the subject, and the professor wisely treaded around it.

Atom watched his father's mood pick up throughout the course of the dinner, even seeming to gain some amusement at debating against Mr. Higeoyaji's old-fashioned ways. Yuko eventually piped up, insisting her uncle's typewriter was not a viable substitute for a computer.

From there, the adults reminisced on old technology, when cell phones weren't a thing—Professor Ochanomizu recounting record players still having the best sound to digital. A few drinks in Mr. Higeoyaji lightened up in his hostility, and was laughing with the group, as the delectable foods were consumed under the pop of energy bubbles.

Atom sat contently without any food or drink, engaging in the chitchat whenever the opportunity arose. But for the most part, he sat listening. Things between everyone were so much livelier than they were before, and the boy robot was simply grateful for that. It felt like Christmas.

"Hmm! This shortcake is good!" Higeoyaji said as the group had began picking at the desserts goods Robita had brought out.

Yuko nodded in approval, wiping the whipped cream from her mouth. "I know. I've never tasted anything like it. A shame about the strawberries…"

Professor Ochanomizu checked the dish before taking a swig of the wine his moustache friend gifted him. "Ah yes, that's the cake Tenma-hakase baked."

Yuko looked shocked, while Higeoyaji spat out his mouthful of cake, nearly choking. "Him!? Baking!?"

Tenma smirked, picking up a slice bit of strawberry with cream.

"Seemingly so."

Atom giggled. He refused to fess up. Instead he picked one of the new foreign Christmas crackers Robita had recently brought in, and held it up to Professor Ochanomizu on his left.

"Hakase?"

"Oh, of course," his mentor smiled, taking the other end. "It's been a long time since I last tried one of these."

Together they pulled, and with a snap to startled Pikora, the golden cracker broke in half. Professor Ochanomizu got the smaller piece.

"I won!" Atom cheered, peering inside the cracker, pulling out what looked to be a folded green piece of paper—a hat?

"It appears so." Professor Ochanomizu chuckled, while the boy robot tried putting the paper crown on his head, but because of his spikes and smooth skull, it sat slanted at an angle. Atom laughed.

"Better luck next time, Hakase?" Yuko said, already holding out her cracker to the man, and the challenge was accepted.

This time around, the professor won his own crown—a pink crown. "Oh that's um, maybe I'll—"

"Nuh-uh-uh-uh." Yuko immediately waddled around the table and fitted the crown on the man's head. "You have to wear it like everyone else; that's the rules!"

Ochanomizu's cheeks went red, while Uran giggled and quickly leaned over the table to Atom with her Christmas cracker. "Oniisan!"

Atom tried to ensure his sister won—tried to at least. But she didn't.

"Oooh," the girl huffed sadly, only to get excited again when the professor offered his own across the table. But with another round, the girl was still unsuccessful and sulked in her seat.

Mr. Higeoyaji sucked in a breath, nearly kicking back his chair as he armed himself with that Christmas cracker, pointing it at Tenma like a gun. "How about it, Tenma-hakase? You and me, let's go!"

Atom's father remained calmly sat where he was, and nonchalantly looked away. "I'll decline."

Smoke could've poured out of the private investigator's nose.

"What!?"

There were a few novelty toys that came with the crackers, but aside from Atom and Uran, the others paid them no mind. Instead the group had a laugh or two trying to translate the jokes that were inside the crackers [all written in the western language] Mr. Higeoyaji eventually settled for pulling his cracker with Ochanomizu, and Atom's father surrendered the Christmas cracker left by his plate to Uran, who went to pull it with Robita just as the service robot came out the kitchen. Third time was the charm, as Atom's sister finally won and happily wore her blue crown with pride.

"Hakase, what does my one say?" Uran asked.

Unfolding the piece of paper inside, Ochanomizu got out his glasses again and squinted. "How do…how do snowmen get around? They ride, an licicle—icicle?"

Atom blinked. Not even his advanced electronic brain could grasp the humor.

"That's just as bad as the polar bear one," Mr. Higeoyaji finally exclaimed.

"They're all bad." Yuko added with a laugh.

Ochanomizu took off his glasses amused. "Agreed."

Unnoticed by the group except to Atom, Tenma lightly shook his head in dismay.

When the dinner was over and the plates were taken away, the grownups continued with their chatting and drinking. It was during this time, Uran slipped away to help Robita with washing up, and Atom was not far behind her. As the trio worked together to wash, dry and put everything away, his sister and Robita broke out into a rehearsed song the pair had seemingly made up together for when doing dishes.

"Dish dish, washy wash, scrubba scrubba, scrub scrub," the longer the two sung, the more they started giggling.

Atom wished he had thought up song himself, maybe then Uran might've offered to helped him do the dishes in the past, instead of flat-out refusing every time.

"Robita, why didn't you go to the Robotonia like the others?" Uran curiously asked after everything was finally cleaned and put away.

The service robot paused after pulling the plug for the sink, before she turned her head to the girl. Robita's green glass eyes softened.

"Because my home is here with you and Hakase."

When the authorities were taking robots away, Robita had been fortunate to be out buying groceries when Detective Tawashi, Delta and his team came for Atom and Uran. Given Atom's circumstances at the time, he wasn't present when the professor and Uran reunited with the service robot, but from what they shared, Robita been an emotional wreck.

She had been forced to witness other robots being taken away or attacked by the humans. After narrowly evading capture herself, she had arrived home to an empty house, with the front doors kicked in, the windows broken…and her _family_ was nowhere to be found. Instead of attempting to flee with other robots to the Antarctica, Robita braved the streets yet again and went straight to the Ministry of Science to find Professor Ochanomizu. She was only lucky the incident had quickly resolved itself by then, and she was left unharmed.

"You weren't even a little tempted to go?" Uran pried.

Robita turned the facet, cleaning the sink of bubbles and bits of food left over from washing up.

"No. This is my life and I'm happy with it. If I couldn't clean or cook for Hakase and you, I would be lost," she replied earnestly to Uran. The service robot then looked up at the ceiling, pondering. "That said, I do wonder about the other robots who left for the stars. I hope they are all well and happy."

Atom gripped the blue dish cloth in his hand, unable to help being reminded of the blue-caped leader who was ready to wage war with the humans. He thought of Blue Knight and Robotonia often and how easily that disaster might not have been averted, had Atom failed to reach the leader with reason, or if he had succumbed to pressure to side with the robots.

It was a dark time, but one Atom wouldn't let himself forget for how his morals were tested. At Steel Island, where so many robots were slaughtered by the anti-machine protestors, Atom's anger got the better of him as he'd nearly wiped out those humans in order to prevent more robot lives being lost. The same happened in the Antarctica, but reverse for it were instead humans who being attacked by the robots.

Death and destruction, that wasn't what Atom was created for, or what he chose to live by. Atom could empathize with Blue Knight's experience and what he suffered through in his past, but the only way they could move forward for the future was with peace, not violence.

Atom hoped wherever the robot kingdom ended up in the universe, they had found that peace.

"Blue Knight…"

The discussion between the three about Robotonia continued on with them debating what life they might lead on another planet, and Uran raising the question if they were also celebrating Christmas too, or would they make their own traditions? Atom suggested they might celebrate their independence, and/or whatever planet they settled upon. But Christmas, he wasn't sure.

Robita perked up suddenly, her party hat snapping off as she began activating the screen on her head.

"Incoming call! It's for you Atom."

"Oh?" curious, the siblings gathered around the service robot as the screen activated.

A young man appeared, and gave a wave at the screen once he recognized who he was looking at.

"Hey guys! Merry Christmas!"

"Reno!" boy robot grinned happily. "How are you doing? How is everyone?"

"Awesome! Oh Atom, you won't believe what my folks did!"

It was from there, Reno excitedly told them Princess Abby was in town where his circus family performed. And it was no coincidence. His family had gotten in touch with the princess and given her an extended invitation—all to surprise Reno.

"It was amazing! They lead me into where they were doing rehearsals, saying they had a new member for trapeze act starting, and she was just standing there! She said I'd gotten tall! Me! Tall!" Reno said hyperactively and chuckled, clearly not over his crush of the princess. "Say, what's the weather like over there? It's hot as the sun out here!"

Atom took quick a look at the nearby window. "It's snowing pretty hard here."

"Snow!?" Reno collapsed in his chair, cooling himself off the best he could with an electric hand-held fan. "Send me some of that my way please."

"I could, but I'd have to get in touch with Epsilon first, and—"

Reno started laughing. "It was a joke Atom. You're too literal sometimes." The young man wiped his forehead, and leaned up to screen, his grey eyes searching. "Hey, did you receive the—"

"Reno!" Uran shouted, startling Atom when she leapt up onto his shoulders to cover his ears.

Even Robita fell into a stammering panic, flailing her arms in the air. "Don't! DON'T!"

"Oh!" Reno leapt back alarmed, nearly knocking over the seat he was in as he juggled with the hand-held fan, trying not to drop it or fall off. "S-Sorry! I thought—nevermind!"

Despite Atom's ears being covered, it did nothing to his sensitive hearing as he heard a door open on Reno's end. A female voice spoke off camera, and Atom recognized it as belonging to Princess Abby.

"Are you ready Reno? Everybody's waiting."

The young man's cheek immediately got red, suddenly straightening up his posture. "I-I gotta go! Take care guys! Say hi to Ochanomizu-hakase for me!"

His sister still latched onto him, Atom awkwardly waved. "Bye Reno! Happy Christmas!"

With an ironic salute and grin, Reno ended the call.

For some reason, both Uran and Robita breathed a sigh of relief. The boy robot scrunched up his brows, frowning. Annoyed by his sister not budging, Atom finally removed her hands from his ears and lifted her off his shoulders.

"What was that about?" He asked, puzzled by their behavior. "Did something happen?"

"No! No of course not!" Robita laughed sheepishly, plucking up her broken party hat. "Oh dear chores! Let me fix this—" and she quickly excused herself.

His little sister was no better off, grasping her hands together with an innocent flutter of her eyelashes.

"So hey Oniisan, what did you get Tenma-hakase? I didn't see you exchange anything."

Taken aback by being such a random change of subject, Atom scratched his cheek.

"Well, um..."

"Oil paints," Tenma answered from behind them, having excused himself from the table where the others were watching. "Would I be right in saying so?"

Atom's electronic heart leapt in his chest. "H-How did you…?"

To this, his father adjusted the cuff on his wrist, smirking.

"I didn't. It was merely a hunch."

It took Atom a few seconds to realize what he had done, and the boy robot chuckled nervously.

So his father had been bluffing after all.

* * *

Mr. Higeoyaji was drunk.

Professor Ochanomizu was a little red in the cheeks from drink—Tenma less so, while Yuko was happy with her fruit juice and cookie cravings.

But Mr. Higeoyaji was very drunk.

Atom did a scan on his blood alcohol level, and confirmed the man was indeed very, very drunk. So drunk was Mr. Higeoyaji, he challenged Tenma to charades. The private investigator went as far as to roll up his sleeves as if ready to fight.

"You hold that game in such high regard I'll send you to the mime dimension!"

Tenma turned away disinterested from where he sat on the couch next to Atom. "I'm not engaging in such trivial activities with an old mule."

"What did you call me!?" Mr. Higeoyaji yelled getting up in the man's face. But Tenma didn't flinch, even going as far as to smile smugly.

Professor Ochanomizu stood up. "Now, now there's no—"

"Teams! That's what we need!" Mr. Higeoyaji looped an arm around the professor's shoulders, poking him in the chest. "Wannada say, Hakase? Let's team up and defeat this peacock."

"Oji-saaan," Yuko whined, covering her face with embarrassment. Beside her, Uran giggled hysterically.

"How about a game of Russian Mini puff tree?" Robita asked, already bringing out a tray with a plate full of cream puffs—six in total. On the cream parts were two beady eyes and a beak.

The cream puffs looked like penguins.

"Sign me up!" Mr. Higeoyaji cheered, pumping his fists in the air overenthusiastically.

Tenma looked at the plate analytically as if he didn't quite grasp the game.

So Atom explained. "There's wasabi hidden in one. Each team eats a cream puff at the same time and we have to figure out who got it."

"Is that so?" his father replied with quietly. "I thought the name was familiar…"

"Hakase got it last year!" Uran said giggling. "And the year before that."

Professor Ochanomizu chuckled, rubbing his bulbous nose. "The odds are always stacked against me it seems."

"OK! Team-time!" Yuko grabbed Uran's hand, raising it up. "Dibs!"

The girl robot cheered.

"Alright Hakase, it's you and me against the big bad!" Mr. Higeoyaji announced chugging some more of his drink. "Let's see you deal with a mouthful of wasabi Tenma-hakase!"

"I'm afraid it'll be you with wasabi, old man," Atom's father said simply with glee and allowed himself be roped into the game.

"Atom, remember. No scanning." Professor Ochanomizu reminded him.

Atom nodded. "Got it!"

Robita immediately went about serving out the cream puffs to the teams. When she finally reached Tenma, the man looked taken aback.

"T-Two!?"

Atom picked one of the two penguin cream puffs, and smiled up at his father.

"Ochanomizu-hakase usually eats mine."

Come to think of it, that's probably why the professor lost. The odds were indeed stacked against him—except now it was Tenma.

Mr. Higeoyaji cackled like a mad man, while professor looked genuinely sympathetic towards Tenma as he tentatively picked up the last cream puff, including the one Atom offered out to him. His father held them as if they were snails.

"On the count of three, everybody eat your cream puffs!" Robita announced, getting her party horn ready. "One...two...THREE!"

She blew the horn.

All at the once, everybody ate their penguin cream puffs whole, and a second later so did Atom's father, having to stuff both in his mouth. The boy robot tried not to laugh and instead focused on everybody else.

The goal of the game was if you got the wasabi, you had to play it off as if you hadn't. It was like poker, but with cream puffs.

Because the wasabi was so overpowering to the taste buds, the faker was easy to spot. Professor Ochanomizu was in the clear this year, and looked happy to escape the spicy taste of the wasabi. Mr. Higeoyaji was squinting astutely at the other participants while he munched on his, but Atom didn't see his eyes watering so he checked out okay.

Sat beside Atom, Tenma gagged and began violently coughing.

"Ha-hah! Victory!" Mr. Higeoyaji cheered. "What did I tell you Ochanomizu-hakase! The man can't handle his greens!"

Atom patted his father's back, while Robita offered the man some water. Tenma motioned it away, still coughing into his fist. Aside from a slightly red face, his father gave off no other side effects and soon recovered—too quickly for him to have devoured a wasabi-tainted penguin cream puff.

"It's not us." Atom said once he was sure.

"What? But look at him!" Mr. Higeoyaji pointed accusingly. "Wasabi infliction right there!"

"Or not," Professor Ochanomizu said, soon to put his mustache friend's gloating to rest. "I'm afraid your observations are off."

"That indeed." Tenma added with a smug grin upon wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Next to Yuko, Uran was sat with her leg twitching, her face twisted in disgust and eyes streaming. The instance girl robot realized the gig was up she let out a loud belch, and a flurry of tinged green energy bubbles escaped her mouth.

She stuck out her tongue.

"Ah! Yuck!" Uran wailed, causing the group to erupt with laughter as Pikora went to console the girl robot. Even Tenma seemed to stifle out a chuckle.

"Rats!" Mr. Higeoyaji huffed as he crossed his arms and glared at Atom's father. "Don't think this is the end, Tenma-hakase. I've only just started!"

"I don't doubt it." Tenma replied, simply reveling in the man's challenge.

"That does it!" Mr. Higeoyaji snapped, his gritted his teeth so hard they could've cracked. The man shot to his feet, pointing a finger at Tenma. "Pictionary! Let's go!"

Professor Ochanomizu and Miss Yuko gave an audible sighed as Mr. Higeoyaji continued on with his big talk. Atom could finally understand how his father had gotten under the skin of his previous therapists…

The boy robot was about to speak up and suggest Shotoku Taishi instead, as that was his favorite party game to play, but he never got the chance to. Through Atom's sensitive hearing, he detected the sound of jet-rockets west of them, heading directly towards the house.

The boy robot stood up, putting his hands behind his ears to sure, but there was no need for alarm. They weren't in danger, as the noise marked the approaching arrival of a dear friend.

He smiled. "Pluto's here."

"Pluto!?" Uran hopped up, quick to recover as she stood up on the couch. She squealed with excitement when she finally heard the sound of the green giant's jets too, and started jumping up and down. "He's here! PLUTO'S HERE! He's here! He's here!"

As the siblings ran out the backdoor, the large robot touched down on the grassy woodlands outback Professor Ochanomizu's house as he had done so every year before. And like every year before, Uran went leaping over the side of the concrete walkway to meet him.

"PLUTOOO!" Full of laughter Uran made a dash across the lawn thick with snow, her arms flapping excitedly as she jumped up onto the robot's extended hand. "Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas, Uran," the large robot greeted, his gaze softening as he raised the girl up to eye level. "Have you been well?"

"Yup! I've been having lots of fun and I got so many nice things!" Uran said excitedly, "Well except the wasabi game—I lost! But Hakase really liked his slippers!"

"Ah, so a good choice…"

Instead of hopping down or taking the long way around, Atom activated his jets and flew the short distance to join them.

"Happy Christmas, Pluto!"

"The same to you, Atom; It's good to see you." The green giant said sincerely, and pointed with his free hand to behind him. "I brought our other guest."

"Huh?" Just then, there was movement from behind Pluto's head, as somebody in formal attire stepped onto the green giant's shoulder.

Holding onto one of Pluto's horn was—

Atom's face lit up. "Atlas!"

In the years to follow the Robotonia incident and robots being given rights, Atlas and Pluto became active on the forefront of humanity and robot kind by lending their support to the Ministry of Science. Much like with the past invasiveness to his father's privacy however, the media still gave Atlas and Pluto bad rep from time to time for their past endeavors. The only reason charges were dismissed was because they sided with Atom against Blue Knight. Alongside the pair being two very powerful robots the authorities didn't want to get on the bad side of, working under the protection of the Ministry of Science likely contributed to no further action being taken.

It wasn't uncommon for Atom to team up with Atlas or Pluto for certain missions, depending on the severity of the situation of course. It was due to such teamwork that Atom had forged a much stronger friendship with the two robots, that he could easily consider them an extension of his family. All three had all indeed gotten close.

' _We are the three amigos,' Pluto announced once after their successful efforts to protect several villages from flooding. No lives were lost, and damage was kept to a minimum as they'd been able to assist in repairing the flood barriers. All three were a mess in the dirty sense—covered in mud splatters and other filth, and had used much of their energy. After days of working so hard, it left them not in the highest of spirits_

_Atom and Atlas had simply looked at each other, then back at the green giant as if he were crazy._

' _What?' they said at same time._

' _Amigos,' Pluto had repeated, still staring off into the watery horizon where the sunlight had finally broken through the stormy clouds—a serene peace in his eyes,. 'It means, friends.'_

They had all been created for a purpose, and they had risen above that to be who they wanted to be.

They really were the three amigos.

Stood in his human form, Atlas gave a cocky grin, and slid down the giant's arm, landing in front of the boy. "Hey there metal head," he said, and proceeded to grab Atom into a playful headlock, digging his knuckles into his spiky hair. "Hah! Finally decided to suit up this year, eh? You look like an elf in that thing!"

"H-Hey cut it out, Atlas!" Atom laughed. "You're one to talk!"

Atlas released Atom and stepped aback, purposely speaking in an over-grandeur tone. "I'll have you know, this suit was specifically tailored to be the most prestige of quality. It would be a criminal to return home in nothing but tatters." He explained, referring to the flaw in his own design, and gave a playful shrug of his shoulders. "Wouldn't want my old man to see me a mess now would I?"

"That's true." Atom chuckled.

Atlas raised a brow as he scrutinized Atom over, before shaking his head. "Never imagined I'd see the day you'd dress up like that, Atom. Guess I should be used to it by now."

In response the boy robot looked at himself slightly baffled. But now that he thought of it, he had been wearing more practical clothes these last few months...

"Oh your present!" Uran clapped her hands and jumped back down to the ground level. "Wait right there Pluto; I'll go get it!"

Pluto gave a thumbs-up to the girl as she ran back to the house. By this point Professor Ochanomizu was making his way down to greet the two robots. The snowfall had temporarily let up, but it was still an extremely cold day. So the professor was smart to wrap himself up in his coat and trade his new croquette sandwich slippers for shoes.

Atlas waved. "Hey there, Hakase!"

The professor gave a welcoming smile. "Atlas, how have you and Tokugawa-Kun been getting along?"

Atlas stuck his hands in his suit pockets, lowering his head. "Ah you know my old man, same as ever. Uh—oh! He mentioned to thank you again for the support and funding for the eco-energy project he's pushed forward with his new apprentice. It's been given the go ahead now."

"Aw that's great! Wonderful!" Professor Ochanomizu said ecstatic. "I'm happy he's finally getting it underway. We can't rely on resources from the moon forever."

Atom noticed Pluto was still staring up at the house on alert, but he soon realized it wasn't because of Uran. Tenma had stepped outside, and was watching over the group from the concrete wall of the walkway. Unlike Professor Ochanomizu, Tenma dared to brave the cold without his coat.

Atlas waved up at the man, smirking. "Hey Tenma-hakase! You better not have been cooking up more trouble for Atom. Got any new robots siblings I need to worry about?

"Not to my knowledge," Tenma called back, and Atom was surprised his father cracked a smile.

Pluto didn't utter any word of greeting to the man, but simply stared him down. And likewise Tenma watched him back as the unspoken tension between the two rose.

Shadow might've been the one behind creating Pluto, but Tenma was still responsible for what led to Pluto being made to fight and hurt innocent robots for the sake of evolving Atom. Yet it was more than that which brought Pluto unease in the man's presence, for it were his actions which inadvertently caused the giant's own demise

The sad truth was the original Pluto was gone—lost in that volcano when he saved Atom's life. The Pluto with them in the here and now was just a copy Shadow kept backed up on Pluto's kokoro and memories. Without that, Pluto would've been completely gone.

Everyone still accepted Pluto as Pluto, even Uran, but none knew like Atom of the struggles the green giant had faced on his identity. In his lowest, Pluto had eventually confided in Atom when the boy robot noticed something amiss with him, and he heard him out through everything he had to say as they sat together on the rooftop of the Ministry of Science, until darkness befell the city.

' _The memories you have might define you, but it's who you become that matters, Pluto.'_

_Pluto had looked down at him with such conflict in his large brown eyes. 'Is that why you choose to be Atom, and not Tenma-hakase's boy?'_

_The words struck a cord deep, that Atom was left unable to answer._

_Pluto continued on, with desperation both in his voice and in those expressive eyes of the giant's. 'What if you decided you were happy as you were? Even if the memories weren't yours, but you accepted them?'_

_In that moment_ _Atom couldn't help being reminded of the weeks he'd spent brainwashed into believing he was Tobio; how admittedly it was the happiest he'd been with his father at the time since first being abandoned. Finally seeing the side of Tenma that wasn't obsessed with making him a king, and genuinely seemed to love him, like before…all until that is, the cracks in the illusion appeared, and Atom's memories came flooding back, leaving him confused and hurt over such betrayal._

_Atom had turned to stare out at Metro City, the many lights from all around the two robots shining like stars under the cover of night._

' _Then, I'd be Tobio.'_

He, like Pluto, went through an identity crisis of his own through various stages in his life. When Atom began wanting to spend time with his creator, such worries resurfaced. But in the end, Atom realized these feelings were his own, and weren't echoes from Tobio. Atom genuinely did want to be in Tenma's company as his son, and only then when Atom accepted that, did he stop being afraid.

But for Pluto, he chose differently for himself. Pluto could have given himself a new name—a new life. In the end, he chose to be who he wanted to be, and that was himself. But Pluto, he could never forgive what had happened, or the violent purpose his predecessor was built for. That was why, when Pluto learned of Atom's plans to live with his creator, the green giant gave but a simple warning:

' _If Tenma does anything to harm you or Uran, no robot laws will stop me hurting that man. Do as you wish, Atom, but don't seek approval from others. If it were me, I would cut ties with Tenma-hakase for good.'_

Professor Ochanomizu, having noticed what was going on stepped forward, thankfully distracting the giant robot's attention away from Tenma.

"Pluto it's good to see you. How has your arm been since your last check-up?" Atom's mentor asked.

The giant stared down at the man for a brief few seconds, before he gave his metal arm a test, proving the joint worked perfectly.

"It's much better; thank you."

"Good, good. But be sure to tell me if it starts locking up again," the professor said kindly.

Pluto bowed his head in thanks.

Professor Ochanomizu sneezed as a cold breeze blew through the trees. He wrapped his coat tighter around himself "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'll have to cut the formalities short this year, but you're welcomed to stay with us as long as you like, Pluto. I'm sure Uran will love that very much." The man said, regretful there were no means for Pluto to come indoors, since the house was incapable of facilitating him. The professor then turned to Atlas. "You're welcomed to join us inside if you like. If I'm not mistaken, Higeoyaji has plans for a game of Pictionary underway."

From inside the house, Atom heard Yuko shout through the open backdoor. "Ojisan for the last time, I'm not playing!"

Atlas chuckled and pointed a thumb back at Pluto. "Thanks, but I'll chill out here with the big guy. I can't stay too long anyhow."

"I understand," Professor Ochanomizu turned around calling out. "Robita! Would you do the honors?"

"Certainly!" The service robot said, waving an arm from where she poked her head out the backdoors. Just as quickly, she vanished back inside.

A few seconds later, all the trees out in the yard where the robots resided lit up with fairy lights. It took the green giant by surprise, and even Atom himself, for this was the first time lights had been fitted out here.

"It's not much, but hopefully it'll make you feel more com—comfortable," Professor Ochanomizu just got out before he sneezed again, wiping his large nose with a hanky. "I'm sorry we can't join you in with this cold. We'll have to arrange some tents next year."

"Don't trouble yourself, Hakase. I'm honored you thought of me regardless." Pluto looked elated "Thank you, I mean it."

Glancing back up at his father, Atom spotted Robita coming out from the house, holding the portable record player in one arm, and a small foldable table under the other.

Seconds after, Uran came running out behind her, holding a giant package over her head—Pluto's gift. In the girl's haste and excitement, she rushed by Robita, startling the service robot as Atom's sister knocked the side of her mechanical arm.

Robita yelped, just managing to prevent herself dropping the recorder player, but the vinyl records resting on top went flying.

"Oh—oh dear!" Robita uttered as she looked around on the ground, assessing how to pick them up with her arms full.

Atom ran few steps forward, and powered up his jets to fly up and help her. As he landed on the concrete wall however, the boy robot realized somebody else was already on the case. Tenma, who was previously standing nearby, was now bending down to pick up those records.

It was only fortunate it'd been snowing, combined with being in their cardboard cases which prevented them getting damaged.

The man hesitated, before he gave them back to Robita.

"Ah! Thank you, Tenma-hakase," the service robot said to him with a bow of her head, and merrily carried on her way down, humming to herself.

Tenma watched her go, until he looked back over and briefly locked eyes with Atom. Catching a chill from the winter air that made the man's shoulders shuddered, he gave his son a small nod of acknowledgement, and returned indoors without a word.

Atom couldn't help but smile to himself, before he hopped off the wall, and ran down the walkway winding around the mushroom house. He quickly caught up to Robita, and helped her carry that foldable small table for her the rest of the way back to the group.

Uran entirely clueless to the whole incident she caused was already with Pluto, offering up his present. "You won't believe what I made you! I worked really hard on it!"

As Atom set down the foldable table, Professor Ochanomizu greeted him.

"I'll go and help Robita with the rest before I head in; there's a few chairs we can—oh," the communicator hooked inside his coat buzzed unexpectedly. Taking it off, Ochanomizu scanned the screen, where for a grief glimpse of a second, something resembling excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Is everything alright, Hakase?"

"Yes—yes, just a message," the professor replied with an overly broad smile, but didn't go into specifics. He quickly tucked the device away, and looked down at the boy robot. "Atom, why don't stay out here for a while? I'm sure you have some catching up to do."

Catching up to do?

But Atom had only seen Atlas and Pluto a few days ago.

Unsure, he nodded slowly. "Sure. I'll get Atlas and Pluto's presents and I'll—"

"No, that's alright. I'll do that for you." Professor Ochanomizu insisted and patted the boy robot's shoulders with a smile. "You just wait right here and I'll get them; under the tree yes?"

"Uh, ye—yeah."

"Good! Very well." the professor nodded and was already walking away—at an unusually fast pace. He waved back at Atom extremely cheery. "Back in a moment!"

The boy robot tilted his head as his mentor hurried along, feeling a little dumbstruck by the awkward exchanged. Professor Ochanomizu was not a good liar, but he didn't seem troubled so it couldn't be anything to be that alarmed about…

Atlas chose then to flick Atom's nose, catching him completely by surprise.

"If you got me art supplies again, you're eating snow." The teen said, smirking.

To this, Atom sheepishly scratched the back of his head and giggled.

* * *

_The morning after overhearing Atom's wishes to live with his creator, Tenma, Uran refused to come out of her bedroom. Atom knocked, but she'd just told him to go away as he heard her crying quietly from behind the door. Guilt-ridden he'd left her, yet vowing to himself that he would try and talk with her again later…_

_Downstairs, Professor Ochanomizu was already waiting for Atom in the kitchen. With a request from his mentor for Robita to pardon herself so they may speak privately, they had soon sat down to have their little talk._

_The agreement they made was Atom could stay over a few days a week at Tenma's house. If things went smoothly, then it could be extended to a permanent stay—if that's what Atom wanted. This was all providing Tenma didn't cook up anymore life-threatening schemes for them and Metro City._

" _We can move on from the past for a better future, Atom, but we can't ignore what Tenma-hakase has done," the professor said, his fingers laced together from where his sat leaned forward on the table. A sad sigh escaped the man, his tired eyes still slightly red and puffy from crying on and off through the night. "If your life is put in danger, or I suspect any foul play, the police will be involved."_

" _It won't come to that Hakase, I promise," Atom said determined and so sure._

" _For your sakes, I pray that you're right." The professor only looked at him full of sorrow, his words stinging the boy robot. "I only want for you to be happy, Atom."_

" _Hakase, I…"_

_He couldn't take it. Without even needing to think it over, the boy robot ran around the table to give his mentor a hug that seemed to last forever between them. It was the least Atom could do to show his thanks, and that he still cared about and loved him like a second father; nothing would ever change that._

_Atom had heard a sniffle from the man, and feared for the worst. But Professor Ochanomizu held it together, eventually patting the boy on the back._

" _You best be going. You'll late for school."_

_Atom's day in school trudged by painfully slow, his mind so muddled he was unable to take anything in Ms. Midori taught. And after spilling the news to his friends the day before, Tamao, Kenichi and Shibugaki were withdrawn, not really knowing how to approach the boy robot on his troubles. It wasn't a fun day._

_The bell for the end of class and consequentially school for the day couldn't ring soon enough._ _"Atom, would you stay behind please?"_ _This was NOT what the boy robot wanted to hear from his teacher when he was all too ready to hurry out the door. Instead very reluctantly Atom went to Ms. Midori's desk, where she waited until all the other students were out of her class before addressing him._ _"You've been distracted all day. Is everything alright?"_ _There was concern there, yet this wasn't something Atom could discuss so freely with his teacher. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't._

_"I...I have an important decision to make, at home," Atom said, as he'd tapped the end of his boot against the ground, squeezing the straps of his backpack. "But I don't know if it's the right one, or if it'll make the people I care about sad."_ _Ms. Midori studied him closely, as she'd leaned forward in her chair. "This wouldn't have to do with what happened in class the other day, would it?"_ _When his friends carried him out in a panic, believing Atom had lost his mind..._ _Atom got embarrassed._ _"Sort of…"_ _  
_

"… _I see." Satisfied by that answer, his teacher rose from her chair, and turned to the white board. With board eraser in hand, she began to remove her day's work. "Then there is only one piece of advice I can give you."_

_"Oh?"_ _  
_

_Ms. Midori_ _paused and smiled back at him, tapping at her chest. "Listen to what's in here," She'd said earnestly. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll make the right choice. But do it because it's what you want—not just to make others happy."_

_Those words swirled inside Atom's head as he'd left school. His friends who had stayed at the gates to wait for him, offered to hang out in an effort to patch things up. As much as he wanted to, Atom had somewhere he needed to be…_

_Descending from the sky, Atom set himself down outside the gates of Tenma's house. In the full heat of the sun, Atom gripped the straps of his backpack, straightening his school clothes for the umpteenth time, hoping he looked tidy._

_Before he could even press the button for the intercom, the gates opened._

_The sprinklers were spraying in constant rotation like a fountain, creating multiple rainbows on that lawn to have been a cut a few days earlier by Tenma and with the assistance of Atom himself—so much grass. The boy robot walked the whole way, instead of running like his previous visits, his every step weighed down as if his legs were filled with rocks. Never had that house looked so intimidating to him than it did that day, as though its windows were eyes, watching him._

_The front door opened quietly as Atom approached, and from the darkened shapes indoors, Tenma stepped part-ways out into the light, waiting for him._

_His creator's hair had been disheveled and his goatee slightly unkempt, yet his clothes were crisp and clean. Atom couldn't help noticing how thin the man looked in that shirt, like he were tethering on the edge of poor health._

_Tenma's calm and collective demeanor didn't give anything away._

" _It appears we have much to talk about."_

_Atom gave a nervous nod._

_Tenma briefly shut his eyes as internally psyching himself for the conversation to come. When he opened them again, the man stepped aside and motioned to the door._

" _Come in. I've just brewed some tea."_

_There was the most unnerving of silences between them once Atom stepped inside. It carried on from when Tenma poured himself some tea in the kitchen, to walking through to the small dining room. It was like the man was going through the motions, not really connected, and not saying a word. The contrast was so much different than when Atom was here only yesterday, when his creator couldn't help but ask of how school went and even offering to help him with homework._

_As they had walked into the dining room, Atom followed Tenma over to where the man sat down at his favorite seat by the window. Memories from Tobio and Robot Tobio stirred from the past of always seeing Tenma there, sipping his tea and reading a newspaper before heading off to work. Yet the man before Atom now just resembled an empty shell—a husk._

_More afraid than he had been in a long time, the boy robot stood across from his creator, his grip not loosening for a moment on the straps of his backpack as he'd tried to remember how to speak._

_It was Tenma who finally broke the silence, after taking a long sip from his tea and setting the cup down._

" _Now, I believe you have something to ask me?"_

_Tenma knew full well Atom's reasons for being there. The Professor Ochanomizu had informed Tenma of Atom's wishes—something Atom wanted to be the one to ask personally and on his own terms. He'd felt almost betrayed that his mentor had gone behind his back, but there was no option to bail out now._

_He'd known for certain by then what he wanted…_

" _I...I was wondering..."_

_Atom took a long deep breath into his artificial lungs, and straightened up. There with his arms rooted to his side, the boy robot proceeded to bow as respectfully as possible._

" _Tenma-hakase, may I please come live here with you?"_

_The curtains from the unlatched window ruffled gently from the warm breeze let in from outside. Atom stayed frozen in that bow, afraid to raise his head._

_It felt an eternity before Tenma finally answered…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ojisan - Uncle  
> Mei – Niece

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:  
> Otousan – Father.  
> Okaasan - Mother.  
> Oniisan – Big Brother.  
> Hakase – Doctor - addressing someone with high academic expertise.  
> San- Honorific term for Mr, Ms. Mrs  
> Chan – Close child friend - a form of san to refer to children.


End file.
